A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City indicted an illegal alien from Sinaloa, Mexico, and two Weber County residents on drug charges after law enforcement seized approximately 20,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills during two separate seizures following an alleged drug transaction in Tooele County, according to a July 20 announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
Luis Angel Camacho-Soto, 26, found illegally in Tooele; Fabiola Garcia, 34; and Joseph Anthony Gomez, 37—both of Ogden—were initially charged by complaint on June 30. According to court documents, law enforcement observed an alleged drug transaction on June 25 at a gas station involving Garcia and a semi-truck. After the exchange, Garcia returned to a Ford driven by Gomez and they proceeded to a nearby hotel where both were detained. A K-9 unit alerted officers to narcotics in their vehicle. During the search, police located about 10,000 small blue pills marked “M30,” which field-tested positive for fentanyl and weighed roughly 1,170 grams.
Concurrently, law enforcement detained Camacho from the semi-truck after another K-9 alert indicated narcotics inside that vehicle as well. Officers seized approximately another 10,000 small blue pills marked “M30,” also testing positive for fentanyl with a weight exceeding 400 grams.
Camacho-Soto is charged with distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Garcia and Gomez are charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A four-day jury trial is scheduled for September 22 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in Salt Lake City before a U.S. District Court Judge.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak announced that Special Assistant United States Attorney Ian K. Ross will prosecute the case for the District of Utah. The investigation involves joint efforts from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Metro Narcotics Task Force (MNTF), State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), along with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tooele City Police Department.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration issues as well as targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations involved in violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah enforces federal laws across all counties within Utah—including areas containing national parks and Indian reservations—and operates under the Department of Justice through offices in Salt Lake City and St. George; it employs about eighty-five people including forty-five assistant attorneys while advancing community safety through victim assistance programs, according to its official website.