Police: Drug lab found in apartment of Santa Clara man recently accused of hurting puppy

In this 2019 file photo a Santa Clara-Ivins Police patrol vehicle is stopped on Santa Clara Drive, Santa Clara, Utah, Sept. 1, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Charges continue to mount against a Santa Clara man arrested last week for aggravated animal cruelty. He is now back in jail on more than a dozen charges in two unrelated cases – one of which involved an alleged clandestine drug lab found inside a Santa Clara apartment.

2018 file photo for illustrative purposes only of Santa Clara-Ivins Police vehicle, location unspecified, July 11, 2018 | File photo courtesy of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department, St. George News

After being charged with aggravated animal cruelty for reportedly throwing a puppy against the wall of an apartment complex in Santa Clara, Alejandro Castillo, 33, was booked into jail on Sept. 20 and then released hours later. Less than a week later on Sunday, Castillo was arrested again.

This arrest resulted from two unrelated investigations set in motion when police received a report of suspicious activity on two credit cards allegedly used to make fraudulent purchases.

The reporting party told investigators on Sept. 20 that they had received a cell phone alert from their credit card company the previous day that said a $50 purchase was declined due to incorrect information given to complete the transaction, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court.

The caller also told police that someone had attempted to use the card to pay for a deposit at a utility company earlier that day, the report states, adding that they also found in their transaction history a $250 payment made to the utility department using the same card that was approved.

Police say the caller contacted the utility company and confirmed that a man, later identified as Castillo, used the credit card to pay for services. The reporting party further discovered the utility payment was one of five unauthorized transactions completed on two of the caller’s credit cards totaling more than $393, the report states.

According to information gathered through investigation, officers learned that several days before the transactions, the used credit cards were at the apartment Castillo shared with two other roommates. And during a gathering at the apartment, Castillo was reported as acting “suspicious” and may have had access to card information then.

The report also states that several days after this gathering, Castillo called the utility company to have the services connected using the stolen credit card information.

Stock image | Photo by Alexi Alex/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

On Sunday, police went to Castillo’s residence to speak to him. According to the report, Castillo said he did not use the credit cards, call the utility company or pay for any utility services; rather, he said it was one of his friends who called the company after he gave him permission to act on his behalf to get the power turned back on.

After officers arrested Castillo, he complained of a “sudden pain in his shoulder,” and he was taken to the hospital, where he was medically cleared before being transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility shortly after 4 p.m., the report states. He was booked into jail facing five third-degree felony counts of unlawful use of a financial card. He also faces five counts of theft, one count of possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia – each a misdemeanor.

Later that night, police received a call concerning property reportedly found by two new occupants moving into the apartment rented by Castillo, the primary lessee of the apartment. The found property included four yellow and black storage bins that contained suspected marijuana, along with two clear containers containing unknown material.

Armed with a search warrant, officers entered the residence and found inside the closet four 27-gallon plastic tote containers “completely full to the brim” with suspected marijuana that appeared to have been trimmed and processed for resale, the report states, adding that the combined weight was estimated at 80 pounds.

Officers also reportedly recovered two clear, 54-quart-sized containers with psychedelic mushrooms growing inside, along with mulch and other growing materials.

“The whole setup is consistent with how mushrooms are grown-manufactured in a portable lab-type setting,” the officer noted in the report.

Officers also recovered clear plastic baggies containing suspected methamphetamine and what later tested positive for cocaine, along with several items of drug paraphernalia, the report states.

Stock image of psilocybin mushrooms by JurisKraulis/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

With the suspect already in custody on the alleged fraud case, additional charges were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review, including one first-degree felony count of operating a clandestine laboratory.

Castillo also faces one second-degree count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, along with a third-degree felony count of the same charge. Two third-degree felony drug possession charges were also submitted, along with a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia.

This was not the first time Castillo has faced credit card and drug charges. About a year ago, he was booked into jail on an outstanding warrant issued out of 5th District Court on a similar case, after officers reportedly found psilocybin mushrooms and drug paraphernalia, $1,200 in cash comprised of 20$ bills, and cards that did not belong to him.

Following Sunday’s arrest, Castillo remains in custody and is being held without bail.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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