Arizona Man Charged with Trafficking Carfentanil into Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An indictment charging an Arizona man in a drug trafficking conspiracy has been unsealed, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

A two-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Ignacio Miguel Tirado-Castillo, 19, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and attempt to distribute a fentanyl analogue in December 2024. Castillo was arrested August 11, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona, and was ordered detained in this case late last week. Evidence at the detention hearing revealed that Tirado-Castillo is alleged to have mailed approximately 25 pounds of carfentanil to Alabama.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue and attempt to distribute a fentanyl analogue is life in prison.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Alabama Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The U.S. Postal Service investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison J. Garnett is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges.  Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.