Man sentenced to 41 months for carrying 104,000 fentanyl pills in Utah

Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. George to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, Cedar City News reported. Judge Ann Marie McIff-Allen imposed the sentence after he pleaded guilty to one federal count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The outlet gave his age as 24 in its story and 23 in its photo caption. ^[1]

According to charging documents, a San Juan County Sheriff's deputy stopped his vehicle in Blanding on Aug. 15, 2025, for an alleged traffic violation. A K-9 alerted to possible narcotics, and authorities found about 23 pounds of suspected fentanyl pills, roughly 104,000 pills, in a toolbox in the rear cargo area. Castillo-Reyes reportedly told investigators he picked up the bag and transported it in exchange for payment. ^[1]

He was initially charged in 7th District Court in Monticello, and was indicted in federal court on Oct. 15, 2025. The state case was dismissed the following week. He pleaded guilty on July 20. The judge recommended he serve his sentence at the federal correctional facility in Englewood, Colorado. ^[1]

U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said in a statement that the case showed coordination among state, federal and tribal partners. She described Castillo-Reyes as a Nicaraguan national living illegally in the United States and said he would be remanded to ICE custody for deportation proceedings. She said the case was part of the Justice Department's "Operation Take Back America." ^[1]