Ohio man, 32, sentenced for stealing and selling cocaine

OHIO — John Castillo, 32, a former Columbus police officer, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison Wednesday for possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Columbus.

According to court documents, Castillo, who was previously assigned to investigate drug crimes, conspired with another officer in February 2021 to steal and sell approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine.

The officers removed the cocaine from a house on North Everett Avenue without reporting it as evidence.

They planted two additional kilograms of cocaine at the residence for law enforcement to find later that day.

The stolen cocaine was stored in the other officer’s basement before being handed off to a third party to sell.

Castillo was arrested in February 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2024.

The case was announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes agents and officers from the FBI, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, and the Columbus Division of Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty prosecuted the case.