Trio Arrested In Connection With Overdose Death Of Aylin Castillo At Goleta Motel 6 In Late June
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Three men have been arrested in connection with the overdose death of 20-year-old Aylin Lizana Castillo in a Goleta Motel 6 on June 21 of this year.
On Sunday, June 21, 2026, around 11:33 a.m., deputies were dispatched to a report of an unconscious woman at the Motel 6 on Calle Real in Goleta stated the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office in a press release Wednesday.
Motel staff tried to contact the room after checkout time had passed and when an employee entered the room, she found an adult woman who was unresponsive and immediately called 911 shared the local law enforcement agency.
Deputies arrived to find 20-year-old Aylin Lizana Castillo had died from a suspected accidental overdose and detectives used evidence at the scene to start their search for the source of the fatal narcotics explained the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives were able to identify multiple suspects believed to have directly trafficked narcotics to Castillo and served multiple search warrants over the course of two days noted the sheriff's office.
During the arrests, a "multitude of narcotics including methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and ketamine" as well as a semi-automatic 9mm unserialized pistol, a high-capacity magazine, ammunition, and over $2000 in cash shared the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
On June 22, a 31-year-old man was arrested in the 1600 block of San Andres Street in Santa Barbara and he was booked on a charge of felony transportation for sale of narcotics and felony transportation of a controlled substance stated the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
His bail has been set at $1 million added the sheriff's office.
The following day, a 44-year-old man was arrested in the 400 block of Islay Street in Santa Barbara and he was booked on charges of felony possession of narcotics for sale, felony possession of a controlled substance for sale, felony transportation for sale, and felony transportation of a controlled substance shared the local law enforcement agency detailed the local sheriff's office.
His bail was also set at $1 million noted the sheriff's office.
Also on June 23, a 31-year-old man was arrested in the 100 block of Vega Drive in Goleta before being booked on charges of felony possession of narcotics for sale, purchase of a controlled substance for sale, transportation for sale, and manufacturing a firearm stated the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
The 31-year-old was later released on his own recognizance shared the sheriff's office.
The circumstances surrounding Castillo's death remain under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Anonymous Tip Line at 805-681-4171 or online here.
"This investigation demonstrates the all-too-often lethal consequences of illegal narcotics trafficking and use in our communities, as well as our unwavering commitment to holding those responsible for dealing these drugs accountable," said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. "The scourge of overdose deaths continues to devastate families throughout our county. In this case, our detectives moved immediately to identify those responsible for providing these dangerous drugs to the victim. We will continue to use every investigative tool and legal avenue available to us to seek out, identify, and bring to justice those who facilitate these tragic and preventable deaths."
