A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has indicted several Honduran nationals for distributing fentanyl and other related offenses in Utah. The indictment includes charges against Jerez Navarro-Zuniga, also known as "Jeren Navarro," a 27-year-old U.S. citizen residing in West Valley City, Utah. Alongside him, Helen Coello-Turcios, 20, Jose Amilcar Zuniga-Acosta, 25, both from West Valley City, and Naaman Navarro-Hernandez, 35, from Taylorsville, Utah have been charged.
The investigation began in December 2024 when the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) started looking into a drug trafficking organization. According to court documents, law enforcement officers arranged a controlled purchase where they observed Navarro-Zuniga supplying fentanyl to a middleman. The substance was later confirmed to be fentanyl.
On January 7, 2025, officers witnessed Coello-Turcios allegedly engaging in a drug transaction. A subsequent traffic stop led to the seizure of approximately ten fentanyl pills from the suspected customer.
Further investigations on February 12 saw agents observing Navarro-Zuniga at his storage unit conducting another alleged transaction. This resulted in the confiscation of about 4,500 fentanyl pills from a vehicle involved. Surveillance footage later captured Navarro-Zuniga with a backpack entering and exiting his storage unit.
Law enforcement seized $34,199 from a Chrysler driven by Navarro-Zuniga with Coello-Turcios as passenger. Additional searches uncovered around ten pounds of fentanyl pills at their residence.
Navarro-Hernandez was stopped on February 13 while driving a Nissan Altima; authorities seized 2,500 fentanyl pills packaged for sale. A search warrant executed at his residence led to the discovery of an additional 11,000 pills.
Zuniga-Acosta and Navarro-Hernandez are noted to be illegally present in the United States after previous deportations.
All four individuals face charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl among others. Zuniga-Acosta and Navarro-Hernandez also face charges related to illegal reentry into the U.S. Initial court appearances are scheduled for March 10 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti announced the indictments. The case is under joint investigation by SBI Narcotics Squad and Utah County Major Crimes Task Force with support from Utah Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman is prosecuting.
This effort aligns with Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming to reduce violent crime through community collaboration and strategic law enforcement priorities.
"An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
