Federal agents have dismantled the most sophisticated narcotics operation ever orchestrated by an officer of the court, following a massive seizure at the Port Newark Container Terminal.

The investigation began when a K-9 unit alerted authorities to a container manifest for automotive parts, which actually concealed 8,900 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $410 million. The shipping documents traced directly to the Manhattan law office of Eduardo Castellanos, a respected immigration attorney who had operated for nineteen years while secretly building a transnational drug empire.

Castellanos led a double life, using his legal practice as a shield to coordinate with cartels in Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. He exploited his clients’ personal information to establish over forty-seven shell companies and used attorney-client privilege to hide his communications with criminal operatives.

Over four years, his network successfully trafficked an estimated 43,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States, generating hundreds of millions in drug proceeds laundered through offshore accounts and luxury real estate.