COLUMBUS, Ohio – John Castillo, 31, of Grove City, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The former Columbus police officer admitted to his role in a scheme to steal and sell drugs, marking a significant breach of trust within the law enforcement community.
Court documents revealed that Castillo, who was assigned to investigate drug crimes, conspired with another officer in February 2021 to steal approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine from a house on North Everett Avenue. Instead of turning the drugs into evidence, the officers kept them for personal gain. They also planted an additional two kilograms of cocaine at the house for law enforcement to discover later that day.
The stolen 10 kilograms of cocaine were stored in the other officer’s basement before being handed over to a third individual for sale. Castillo’s actions have led to serious legal repercussions, with the charge of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Zrinka Dilber, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea, which was entered before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.
