CEDAR CITY — Two men who were arrested in Garfield County in June on suspicion of drug trafficking have each received prison sentences.
Last month, after pleading guilty to one count of attempted possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, Jose A. Casillas, 24, and Jose Fortino Preston, 24, each received identical sentences of 1-15 years in the Utah State Prison.
As previously reported in St. George News / Cedar City News, the men, along with a woman who was a passenger in their vehicle, were arrested by Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies following a reported disturbance in the Thunder Mountain trailhead parking lot near the Red Canyon area on June 5. During a search of the vehicle, officers reportedly found more than 9,000 fentanyl pills.
Casillas and Preston were sentenced separately by 6th District Court Judge Mandy Larsen on July 14 during a virtual hearing conducted in Panguitch. In exchange for their guilty pleas, several other charges against them were dismissed, including endangerment, disorderly conduct and possession of paraphernalia. The court also waived all fines and fees associated with both cases.
How much time the two men end up spending in prison will be up to the Utah Board of Pardons.
Two weeks later, on July 28, similar charges that had been filed against the female passenger, identified as Emilianna Rosa Sesma-Lopez were dismissed without prejudice, with prosecutors indicating that a settlement had been reached with her co-defendants.
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