A former Ohio police officer may spend the rest of his life in prison, after admitting to his involvement in a cocaine operation, an operation he supplied using drugs stolen from the very crime scenes worked.
John Castillo, 31, of Grove City, is facing at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession with attempt to distribute five kilograms of cocaine, according to the the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Castillo was arrested in February on allegations of stealing drugs from evidence rooms and investigation scenes. He then passed off narcotics to another person to be sold.
Castillo took roughly 10 kilograms of cocaine from a home on North Everett Avenue in east Columbus during an investigation but didn't enter the drugs as evidence. He then planted two of the kilograms at the Broadleigh neighborhood home and took the rest to be sold by another person.
Alledged co-conspirator and former police officer Joel Mefford pleaded not guilty to charges in February and is expected to go to trial, according to NBC 4 News.
Mefford is facing an additional charge of money laundering as well as two counts of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Castillo, who joined the police force in June 2019, had high marks in performance reviews and was a member of the department's drug cartel unit as of June 2021.
A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
