Previously Removed Illegal Alien from Mexico Charged for Drug an Immigration Crimes in the District of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a previously removed illegal alien from Mexico with drug and immigration crimes after law enforcement seized drugs from a residence in Salt Lake County.

Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Diaz, 40, residing illegally in West Jordan, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on May 19, 2026.

According to allegations in court documents, on May 14, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in West Jordan. Prior to the execution of the search warrant, Gonzalez-Diaz, the target of the investigation, was located by law enforcement in his vehicle. During the search of Gonzalez-Diaz's residence, law enforcement located and seized 471 grams of fentanyl pills, 120 grams of heroin, and 303 grams of methamphetamine. All the drugs field-tested positive. According to immigration officials, Gonzalez-Diaz is not a citizen of the United States and has been removed from the United States on at least one prior occasion.

Gonzalez-Diaz is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and reentry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 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 Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Pete Reichman of the U.S. 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.