Felipe T. Castillo, 38, of Hobbs, N.M., is headed to federal prison after admitting he pointed a loaded firearm at a DEA task force officer in broad daylight in Lea County. The confrontation, which unfolded on May 31, 2017, triggered a criminal complaint and ended with a 21-month prison sentence handed down yesterday in Las Cruces federal court.
Castillo wasn’t just armed—he was a prohibited person holding a weapon while on parole for a prior firearms offense. According to court documents, the DEA officer was conducting official duties when Castillo leveled a gun at him, prompting immediate arrest. The incident was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DEA, and Hobbs Police Department.
The defendant has a violent past stretching back two decades. Records show Castillo was convicted in Texas in 2000 for engaging in organized criminal activity and again in 2002 for discharging a firearm. Despite those convictions, he was back behind the trigger in 2017, directly threatening a federal agent.
On August 23, 2017, Castillo pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. In open court, he admitted to pointing the firearm at the DEA task force officer, cutting short any chance of a trial. Prosecutors didn’t back down—Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Dustin Segovia of the Las Cruces Branch Office pushed for accountability.
The sentence lands at 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court made no concessions for his criminal history or the circumstances of the standoff. Federal judges have little tolerance for attacks on law enforcement, especially when firearms are involved.
Authorities stress that pointing a weapon at a federal officer is not a negotiation tactic—it’s a crime with hard time. Castillo’s actions placed him directly in the crosshairs of federal justice. Now, he’ll serve his time under lock and key, a warning to others who consider threatening those enforcing the law.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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