COLUMBUS, Ohio — The final of 11 defendants convicted in a narcotics distribution operation bringing drugs into central Ohio from California was sentenced in federal court on Thursday.
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.
The last defendant, Justin Berrien, of Springfield, was sentenced to 70 months in prison. Castellanos was sentenced to 21 years in prison last year.
Court documents say Castellanos transported narcotics from Los Angeles to Columbus with a semitruck. Castellanos was the owner of a transportation company and the semitruck driver frequently made trips across the country.
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. The co-conspirators then sold the drugs in central Ohio, Youngstown, Springfield and in West Virginia.
Castellanos would then collect the drug money before returning to California.
Many of the drug transactions involved tens of thousands of dollars. For example, one transaction detailed in an affidavit describes a co-defendant transporting 5,000 fentanyl pills to another co-defendants home in Columbus for $36,000.
The other defendants in the case have already been sentenced:
- Susana M. Orellana, 41, Columbus, 87 months in prison
- Martel D. Owens, 40, Springfield, 72 months in prison
- Jermaine A. Peterson, 39, Springfield, 60 months in prison
- Kelvin Battle, 49, Springfield, 60 months in prison
- Carl Jenkins, 55, Wadestown, W.Va., 60 months in prison
- Dwayne S. Childs, 35, Columbus, 48 months in prison
- James I. Sheets, 51, Fairview, W.Va., 30 months in prison
- Darrell Peterman Sr., 62, Youngstown, 24 months in prison
- Linda M. Houle, 49, Springfield, Three years supervised release
