An Atlanta man who supplied methamphetamine to drug dealers in Mississippi will spend nearly 20 years in federal prison, authorities said.

Jose Antonio Castillo, 44, was arrested after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New Orleans learned he was trafficking meth out of his Atlanta automotive shop, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Authorities said dealers on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast would travel to Atlanta to buy drugs from Castillo, who reportedly ran a drug trafficking organization.

Castillo gave the dealers pounds of meth in exchange for money, authorities said, and they would return to the Gulf Coast to sell it there.

Castillo was arrested in July 2018 by Homeland Security Investigations agents. At the time of his arrest, he had more than 900 grams of meth in his car, authorities said.

He was found guilty of conspiring to possess and intending to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 235 months in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.

After Castillo’s sentence is complete, he must spend five more years on supervised release, authorities said.

Seven other members of Castillo’s organization have also pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com