Fermin Castro-Tovar, a 26-year-old Mexican national residing illegally in the United States, has been sentenced in Utah to 96 months in prison with an additional three years of supervised release. This follows his guilty plea in January to charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart.
Court documents reveal that in May 2024, Castro-Tovar participated in a controlled methamphetamine sale to undercover agents from the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force. During a subsequent search on May 30, 2024, law enforcement found 24,020 grams of methamphetamine in a storage unit linked to him. Additional amounts were seized at his residence and an associated apartment, totaling 38,838 grams.
"Stopping deadly drugs from being distributed throughout our communities is a priority," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti. Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI added, "Illicit drugs have devastated too many lives in Utah."
The investigation was conducted by the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force, which includes the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force. Assistant United States Attorney Seth Nielson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aiming to mitigate gun violence and other crime through a collaborative approach with law enforcement and community organizations. Additionally, this effort is under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, an initiative targeting high-level criminal organizations in the U.S.
