Joel Castillo-Soto, Illegally Re-Entering U.S. After Deportation, Rhode Island 2023

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ROCHESTER, NH – Joel Castillo-Soto, a 35-year-old Dominican national, copped a plea deal in federal court today, admitting he illegally returned to the U.S. after deportation and then got caught pushing serious weight. The feds say Castillo-Soto was a key player in a multi-pound meth, cocaine, and fentanyl operation centered around Rochester and Seabrook.

The DEA started sniffing around early last year after getting wind of someone slinging multiple ounces of meth in the Rochester area. Their investigation quickly focused on Ariel Castillo-Solano, who was posing as an American citizen. Castillo-Solano allegedly hooked up with an undercover DEA officer and a confidential informant, moving over five pounds of meth in a series of deals between October 2024 and January 2025.

But it didn’t stop there. Castillo-Solano then tried to push a staggering 15 pounds of meth, 21 ounces of coke, and 40 grams of fentanyl – a $69,000 deal. That’s when Castillo-Soto entered the picture. On January 24th, Castillo-Soto rolled up to a Seabrook parking lot in an Uber, delivering the drugs to the undercover officer. Both he and Castillo-Solano were immediately cuffed.

This wasn’t Castillo-Solano’s first rodeo with the law either. He already pleaded guilty to a meth conspiracy back in 2016. Castillo-Soto is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2026. Expect a long stay in federal prison.

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