Miguel Mario Soto De Santiago, a 25-year-old Mexican national residing illegally in Bluffdale, Utah, was sentenced on July 24 to five years in federal prison and four years of supervised release after admitting to bringing heroin and fentanyl into the District of Utah for profit.
U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball imposed the sentence following Soto De Santiago’s guilty plea on May 5, 2026, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Upon completion of his prison term, Soto De Santiago will be remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.
According to court documents and statements made at Soto De Santiago’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, he possessed 5,027 grams of fentanyl and 1,103 grams of heroin on February 19, 2025. He admitted that he brought these drugs into Utah for distribution in exchange for money.
“Anyone who brings heroin, fentanyl, or other dangerous drugs into our community is on a direct path to federal prison — and, in this case, deportation,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “My office maintains zero tolerance for drug traffickers, and we will prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI said. “Every drug trafficker taken off our streets is one less threat to our communities. This sentencing is a direct result of strong partnerships and a shared commitment to removing dangerous drugs from our streets and protecting the people we serve.”
The case was investigated by the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force—composed of agents from the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office—and by the Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted this case as part of Operation Take Back America.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah enforces federal laws across all counties in Utah—including areas with national parks and Indian reservations—and advances community well-being through victim assistance programs while promoting public safety initiatives; it operates under the Department of Justice with offices in Salt Lake City and St. George as well as access points like Hill Air Force Base. About 85 employees work there, including approximately 45 assistant attorneys, according to their official website.