Nicaragua man given 3.5 years in prison for trafficking 104K fentanyl pills

ST. GEORGE — A man from Nicaragua was sentenced Wednesday to almost 3.5 years in prison for trafficking around 104,000 fentanyl pills into Utah.

Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes, 23, was illegally living in Fresno, California, when he was involved in a traffic stop in southern Utah on Aug. 14, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah said.

Castillo-Reyes was stopped by a San Juan County Sheriff's deputy for a traffic violation, and a K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics, court documents said. His vehicle was searched, and approximately 23 pounds of fentanyl — equating to about 104,000 pills — were located in a toolbox, prosecutors said.

"Castillo-Reyes admitted to picking up the bag containing the drugs and transporting them in exchange for payment," a motion for detention states.

He pleaded guilty in July to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. In addition to his 41 months in prison, he is ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Court documents state he will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation after his prison release.

"This case highlights the excellent coordination of our state, federal, and tribal partners in removing this poison from our streets," said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah.

Also in federal court, a grand jury indicted Francisco Antonio Rodriguez Raudales, 32, last month on charges of drug trafficking and immigration crimes. Rodriguez was illegally residing in Salt Lake City when undercover agents conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Rodriguez, according to court documents.

More than 4,500 grams of fentanyl were recovered from Rodriguez during the purchase and a search of his apartment, a federal complaint states. During a police interview, he told officers he was going to be paid $1,000 for delivering the drugs, court documents said.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez is from Honduras and has previously been removed from the U.S. in 2012 and 2023.

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