A 24-year-old man who sold THC gummies that sent 12 William Floyd Middle School students to the hospital in 2025 was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 13, to two years in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
Wilmer Castillo Garcia, a Guatemalan national, received the sentence after pleading guilty in July to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to prosecutors, Castillo Garcia sold THC-infused gummies through Instagram in March 2025. The gummies were later consumed by 12 students at William Floyd Middle School in Moriches, all of whom became ill and sought medical attention.
Prosecutors said Castillo Garcia also sold cocaine and marijuana to an undercover law enforcement officer on May 5 and May 12, 2025.
He was arrested and arraigned on Aug. 14, 2025, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft Jr. and released on his own recognizance because the charges were not eligible for bail under New York law.
While his case was pending, Castillo Garcia attempted to leave the United States. On Oct. 4, 2025, Canadian border authorities apprehended him at the Lewiston Bridge near the U.S.-Canada border.
He was subsequently placed in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and transferred to the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia.
At the request of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, ICE returned Castillo Garcia to Suffolk County to face the charges against him.
On July 23, 2026, he pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
During Tuesday’s sentencing, Castillo Garcia received two years in prison followed by two years of post-release supervision.
“New York’s broken bail laws put this defendant back on the street after he was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer and for giving weed-laced gummies to children,” Tierney said. “He then used that opportunity to flee toward the Canadian border.”
Tierney said ICE has placed a detainer on Castillo Garcia and will take custody of him after he completes his prison sentence.
Castillo Garcia was represented by attorney Matthew Tuohy.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kendall Walsh of the Narcotics Bureau. Suffolk County Police Narcotics Unit Detectives Jessica Anderson and John McGlynn conducted the investigation.
Find Crime News in Your Town
Explore arrests, investigations and crime reports from communities across Long Island.
