A Colombian national residing illegally in Kearns, Utah, was sentenced on April 16 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl in the District of Utah.
U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow imposed a sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment on David Estiven Alvear Carcamo, age 21. Carcamo will also serve four years of supervised release and is set to be remanded to the Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings following his release from prison.
According to court documents and statements made during Carcamo’s sentencing and change of plea hearings, law enforcement executed a search warrant on March 4, 2025, at a residence and vehicle. Agents seized approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills and a handgun from the vehicle. The case was investigated by the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force—composed of the FBI and Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force—and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak announced the sentence.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, described as "a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime." The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah advances community well-being through victim assistance programs and public safety initiatives according to its official website.
The office enforces federal laws across all 29 counties in Utah—including areas with five national parks and multiple Indian reservations—and maintains offices in Salt Lake City and St. George with access to federal sites such as Hill Air Force Base according to its official website. It operates under the U.S. Department of Justice with about 85 employees including around 45 assistant attorneys according to its official website.
