Investigation underway after Canadian citizen Johnny Noviello dies in ICE custody
A Canadian national named Johnny Noviello died on June 23 while in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE announced on Thursday that Noviello was pronounced deceased by the Miami Fire Rescue Department at 1:36 p.m. local time. He was held at the Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center pending removal proceedings at the time of his death and was “found unresponsive” just before 1 p.m.
Authorities said medical staff administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, used an automated external defibrillator shock, and called 911 immediately upon discovering him in this condition.
The cause of his death remains under investigation.
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” ICE’s statement reads. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”
“At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
Johnny Noviello’s history in the U.S.
Noviello obtained legal visa status to enter the U.S. as a child in January of 1988 and had been living there as a permanent resident since October 1991.
The Canadian national was convicted of crimes in the U.S., including racketeering, trafficking oxycodone and hydrocodone among other illegal drugs, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate the commission of a crime. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison in October 2023.
In May 2025, ICE arrested him at the Florida Department of Corrections Probation office.
Per ICE’s statement, he was issued a notice to appear and charged with removability, having been convicted of a violation of (or a conspiracy or attempt to violate) a law relating to a controlled substance, “other than a single offense involving possession for one’s own use of 30 grams or less of marijuana, as a non-immigrant overstay.”
A 2017 article from the Daytona Beach News Journal mentions a Johnny Noviello, whose details line up with ICE’s statement.
According to the report, Noviello and his father owned a Daytona Beach used car lot and were behind bars on accusations of trafficking in painkillers as of November 2017.
The Daytona Beach News Journal also reported that both father and son were held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on US$17.5 million and US$1 million bail, respectively, but Daily Hive has not been able to verify this independently.
In a statement to Daily Hive, Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in Florida.
“Consular officials are in contact with U.S. authorities to gather information,” said a spokesperson from the agency. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”
At the time of publishing this article, no official statement about this incident had been published on Canadian governmental websites.