A Salem man has been sentenced to over three years in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization based on the North Shore. The organization was responsible for distributing counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as laundering the proceeds.
Gino Castillo, aged 35, received a sentence of 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV. In April 2025, Castillo admitted guilt to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, along with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Castillo was one of 27 individuals charged since October 2022 for their roles in the widespread conspiracy involving counterfeit prescription pills. He was indicted on April 24, 2024. All those charged have pleaded guilty, with 22 already sentenced.
The drug trafficking organization distributed counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine around Lynn. In May 2022, Castillo purchased 500 fentanyl-containing pills from the group for further distribution. In October 2022, he assisted Lawrence Michael Nagle Jr., a leader within the DTO, in moving into an apartment on Phillips Street in Salem where drugs were stored. A search conducted at this location on October 25, 2022 revealed counterfeit pills hidden both in a safe and inside a toilet tank.
Lawrence Michael Nagle Jr., who pleaded guilty in April 2025, is due for sentencing on August 5, 2025.
The announcement came from United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police. Assistance was provided by several local police departments including Beverly, Everett, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus and Swampscott. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys K. Nathaniel Yeager, Samuel R. Feldman, John O. Wray and Alexandra Amrhein from the Criminal Division.
This case forms part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation which aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
