PITTSBURGH, PA — Norberto Castillo-Lopez, a 34-year-old resident of Columbus, Ohio, has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison. The sentencing was announced on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
Following his prison term, Castillo-Lopez will face five years of supervised release for his conviction on conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence after Castillo-Lopez was found guilty during a three-day jury trial that took place in November 2023.
The trial established that Castillo-Lopez was the mastermind behind an organization that trafficked kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Columbus, Ohio, into the Western District of Pennsylvania. From December 2019 through August 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a Title III wiretap investigation into the organization. During this time, Castillo-Lopez was intercepted agreeing to supply kilograms of cocaine to a co-conspirator. This co-conspirator’s role was to redistribute Castillo-Lopez’s cocaine to lower-level distributors for resale in the cities of New Castle and Farrell.
A September 2020 raid at Castillo-Lopez’s residence resulted in the recovery of cocaine, bulk United States currency, and a kilogram wrapper.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Ranjan emphasized the severity of the offense. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark V. Gurzo and Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan praised several agencies for their role in the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Castillo-Lopez. These included the Drug Enforcement Administrations in Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Homeland Security Investigations in Pittsburgh and Orlando, Florida; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations; United States Postal Service in Columbus; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Lawrence County Drug Task Force–Special Investigations Unit; and New Castle Police Department.
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