Head of drug ring with Mississippi ties gets 25 years in prison

Published 8:04 am Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Federal prosecutors say the head of a drug ring that worked in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Online court records from the U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis show Lorenzo Castelo pleaded guilty and was sentenced Thursday on two charges related to the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine.

Castelo, of Memphis, and several other people were charged in an indictment alleging the organization sold marijuana, cocaine and meth in west Tennessee, east Arkansas and north Mississippi.

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Prosecutors say the case is part of a large investigation the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement. A news release says the task force seeks to “disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.”