Final defendant sentenced in narcotics case involving 76 kilograms of fentanyl, California-to-Ohio drug operation

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of 11 defendants convicted of crimes as part of a national narcotics distribution operation bringing drugs into Central Ohio from California was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today.

The organization was led by Isabel Odir Castellanos, of Los Angeles, and involved the seizure of 76 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as the seizure and forfeiture of seven firearms, vehicles and nearly $650,000 in cash. Castellanos was sentenced in June 2023 to 21 years in prison.

Today, co-defendant Justin M. Berrien, 44, of Springfield, Ohio, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

The defendants were arrested in June 2022.

According to court documents, Castellanos transported narcotics from Los Angeles to Columbus via semi-truck. Castellanos is a business owner of a transportation company and a semi-truck driver who frequently travels across the United States.

Castellanos delivered the narcotics to a co-defendant’s residence in Columbus, which served as a stash house. Co-conspirators then delivered the drugs to mid-level retail distributors like Berrien. Those mid-level retailers then sold the drugs in Central Ohio, Youngstown, Springfield, and in West Virginia.

Castellanos would then collect the drug proceeds before returning to California.

Many of the individual drug transactions charged involve tens of thousands of dollars. For example, one drug transaction detailed in an affidavit describes a co-defendant transporting 5,000 fentanyl pills to another co-defendant’s home in Columbus in exchange for $36,000.

The other defendants in this case include:

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Springfield Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.

This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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