Attorney General Announces Prison Sentence for Narcotics and Firearm Trafficker After Successful Long-term Investigation

PHOENIX – Today, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announces that Daniel Quinones-Castro has been sentenced to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Possession of a Dangerous Drug (Methamphetamine) for Sale and Misconduct Involving Weapons. 

Investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began a long-term investigation into a drug trafficking organization beginning in September 2018. Through this investigation, law enforcement determined Daniel Quinones-Castro was involved in illegal drug transactions in the Phoenix area. Investigators conducted surveillance on several transactions and noted Quinones-Castro was coordinating the deals by directing couriers to obtain and distribute dangerous narcotic drugs. 

Between September 2018 and February 2019, investigators determined that Quinones-Castro assisted in trafficking over seven pounds of methamphetamine and over seven pounds of cocaine. Investigators also seized a belt-fed rifle that Quinones-Castro directed an associate to purchase so that it could be smuggled into Mexico. 

His co-conspirators, Mark Lujan and Daniel Granucci, were both sentenced to supervised probation for their part in conspiring with Quinones-Castro to sell methamphetamine and launder the proceeds.

This case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office Criminal Division. Quinones-Castro was sentenced to 5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections on August 20, 2025. His co-conspirators, Mark Lujan and Daniel Granucci, were both sentenced to supervised probation for their part in conspiring with Quinones-Castro to sell methamphetamine and launder the proceeds.

A copy of the indictment is available here. A copy of Quinones-Castro’s booking photo is here.