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ROCHESTER, NH – Joel Castillo-Soto, a Dominican national previously deported from the United States, copped a plea in federal court today, admitting his role in a multi-pound methamphetamine trafficking operation in the Rochester area. He’s looking at serious time, with sentencing set for June 25, 2026.
The DEA began building the case early this year, tracking a source moving ounces of meth around New Hampshire. The operation quickly broadened, revealing Castillo-Soto working with Ariel Castillo-Solano, who was posing as a US citizen. Between October and January, investigators – using a confidential informant and an undercover officer – brokered deals totaling over five pounds of meth. The pair then upped the ante, attempting to move another 15 pounds of meth, 21 ounces of coke, and 40 grams of fentanyl for $69,000.
The bust went down in a Seabrook parking lot. Castillo-Solano promised an Uber would deliver the goods, and it did – bringing Castillo-Soto with a load of drugs straight into the arms of DEA agents. Castillo-Solano also entered a guilty plea in this case. Court records show Castillo-Solano has a prior drug conviction from 2016.
Castillo-Soto’s illegal reentry into the country adds another layer of federal charges to an already packed indictment. He was already ordered removed once, and this operation proves he didn’t stay away.