Las Vegas woman sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison for role in drug mailing ring involving 83 pounds of methamphetamine

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A woman who participated in a large-scale operation involving the mailing of methamphetamine from California and Las Vegas to central Ohio was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 188 months in prison. The government seized approximately 83 pounds of methamphetamine in this case.

Tiauna Castro, 36, of Las Vegas, mailed drug packages from Las Vegas to Columbus. While this case was pending, Castro also committed more than half a million dollars in tax fraud.

According to court documents, in April 2022, Castro and seven co-defendants were indicted for the drug conspiracy. The charges were the result of a 2021 investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Central Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. Investigators identified at least 128 mail parcels believed to contain methamphetamine.

As part of the drug conspiracy, Castro met with bulk narcotics distributors and negotiated prices with the suppliers. She then bought bulk amounts of narcotics, stored them, repackaged them for shipping and sent them out through the U.S. Mail.

Castro also committed tax fraud, filing false federal tax forms related to two sham businesses. She received more than $500,000 in refunds to which she was not entitled. She was charged with tax fraud in January 2025 while on pretrial release for the drug charges.

Castro pleaded guilty in March 2026 to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and submitting false claims.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and Emily Czerniejewski are representing the United States in this case.

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