Man Accused In THC Gummies Case Involving 12 Students Returned After Border Arrest: DA

MORICHES, NY — A 22-year-old Guatemalan national has been returned to Suffolk County after allegedly attempting to flee the United States following his release without bail in a drug case tied to the hospitalization of multiple middle school students, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Wilmer Castillo Garcia was arrested near the U.S.-Canada border by the Canada Border Services Agency and later transferred into federal custody before being returned to Suffolk County to face charges, prosecutors said.

According to the DA’s Office, Castillo Garcia had previously been indicted on multiple drug-related charges, including seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor, and two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony, after selling narcotics to an undercover officer.

He is also accused of two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Class B felonies, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor, in connection with an earlier incident in which more than 12 William Floyd Middle School students were hospitalized after allegedly consuming THC-infused gummies traced back to him, prosecutors said.

Authorities said the investigation began after the students were taken to Peconic Bay Hospital on the same day, after becoming ill. Detectives said they traced the source of the THC gummies to an Instagram account, which led them to Castillo Garcia.

Prosecutors said Castillo Garcia later sold cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer on two separate occasions in May 2025.

He was arraigned on the indictment on Aug. 14, 2025, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft Jr., prosecutors said.

Because the charges are considered non-bail eligible under New York law, the court was unable to set bail, and Castillo Garcia was released on his own recognizance during the case.

Castillo Garcia was arrested by Canadian authorities on Oct. 4, 2025, at the Lewiston Bridge while attempting to leave the country, prosecutors said. He was then transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and held at a federal detention facility in Batavia.

At the request of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, a judge issued a writ ordering his return to Suffolk County to face the charges.

Castillo Garcia is now being held at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility pending further proceedings, prosecutors said.

He is due back in court on May 19 and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted of the top charge, the DA’s Office said.

His attorney, Matthew Touhy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This defendant allegedly sold drugs to an undercover officer and is also allegedly connected to the hospitalization of multiple school children. Yet, our prosecutors had no legal mechanism to ask for the court to set bail,” Tierney said. “New York’s bail laws are still broken. Luckily, the defendant was allegedly caught while attempting to flee across the border into Canada. We thank Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Canada Border Services Agency for ensuring this defendant will face justice for these charges.”