Undocumented Mexican National Indicted in the District of Utah for Alleged Drug Crimes

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - An indictment was unsealed today after an alleged drug trafficker, living in the United States illegally on an expired Visa, appeared in federal court after he allegedly possessed and distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine in the District of Utah.

Jose Cesar Paredes-Davila, 33, a Mexican national living in Utah, was charged by complaint on January 20, 2026.

According to the allegations in court documents, beginning in January 2026, the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) initiated a criminal investigation into Paredes-Davila after receiving information he was distributing large quantities of narcotics. On January 15, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a vehicle believed to be used by Paredes-Davila to traffic drugs. During the search, law enforcement seized 2,196 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl and approximately 615 grams of field-tested methamphetamine. UCMC officers estimated the fentanyl evidence to be approximately 21,000 fentanyl pills. UCMC officers also located $9,124 in U.S. currency and $2,000 in Western Union money orders.

As alleged in court documents, UCMC officers also learned Paredes-Davila was using vacation rentals to receive controlled substances in the mail. A United States Postal Investigator ran a rental property address Paredes had been using in Salt Lake City and postal records showed a parcel enroute to a Salt Lake City address that was addressed to "Cesar Paredes." A search warrant was obtained and executed, and agents seized 3,562 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine.

Paredes-Davila is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and attempted possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for April 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 7.4 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.