Five Alleged Drug Traffickers Indicted, Approximately 52 Pounds of Narcotics Seized by Homeland Security Task Force

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned multiple indictments today against four illegal aliens from Mexico and one U.S. citizen for alleged drug trafficking in four separate cases after agents seized approximately 23,759.17 grams of narcotics (approximately 52.38 pounds) total during a two-day period last month.

Jesus Cecilio Ceballos-Mendoza, aka Jesus Cecilio Caballas-Mendoza, 40, and Jesus Ivan Meza-Lopez, aka Manuel Tadeo Olivas-Sanchez, 42, both illegally residing in California, were initially charged by complaint on March 19, 2026. According to the allegations in court documents, in March 2026, law enforcement received information that Ceballos-Mendoza regularly transports large quantities of methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Salt Lake County, Utah. A controlled purchase with an undercover agent was organized and a traffic stop was conducted. During the execution of a search warrant, investigators located and seized approximately 9,355.7 grams of methamphetamine, 1,122.8 grams of heroin, and 439.8 grams of fentanyl inside the vehicle, all of which field-tested positive for their respective controlled substances. Ceballos-Mendoza, and Meza-Lopez are charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 9, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. in courtroom 8.4. The case is being investigated by a DEA Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake Metro Narcotics Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by ATF, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, the Salt Lake City Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Luis Angel Cervantes Salinas, 24, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on March 19, 2026. According to the allegations in court documents, On March 18, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at the residence and vehicle of Cervantes Salinas in Salt Lake County. During the search of the residence, agents located and seized approximately 1,678.27 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl, and a 12-gauge shotgun. As a previously convicted felon, Cervantes Salinas, is restricted from possessing a firearm and ammunition. During a search of his vehicle, agents located and seized approximately six grams of field-tested positive fentanyl. Cervantes Salinas was arrested. Cervantes Salinas is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and felon in possession of a firearm. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4. The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF) and the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF).

Juan Carlos Gonzalez Soto, 26, of Mexico, illegally residing in West Valley City, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on March 19, 2026. According to the allegations in court documents, on March 18, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at the residence and vehicle of Gonzalez Soto in West Valley City. During the search of the residence, agents located and seized approximately 2,554 grams of field-tested positive cocaine, and approximately $20,500 of U.S. currency. In the vehicle, agents located and seized approximately six grams of field-tested positive cocaine. Gonzalez Soto was arrested a short distance away from the residence. Upon being booked at the Davis County Jail, agents also found approximately 31.6 grams of cocaine on Gonzalez-Soto. He is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 9, 2026, at 10:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4. The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF), and Homeland Security Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jose Francisco Aguilar Lozano, 37, of Mexico, was initially charged by complaint on March 23, 2026. According to the allegations in court documents, on March 20, 2026, local law enforcement conducted a traffic stop for a traffic violation on a tractor truck and trailer on Interstate 80 near Park City. Aguilar Lozano was the driver and sole occupant of the tractor truck. During the traffic stop, a K-9 alerted for the odor of narcotics on the tractor truck. During the search, officers located a black backpack with rectangle shaped bundles wrapped in black tape or plastic. Homeland Security Investigators arrived on scene and arrested Aguilar Lozano. The bundles in the backpack were seized, and the substance tested positive for fentanyl. In total, eight bundles were seized with a combined weight of approximately 8.565 kilograms. Aguilar Lozano is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A three-day jury trial is scheduled for June 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.1. The case is being investigated jointly by a Homeland Security Investigations agent assigned to the Homeland Security Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

All hearing for each case will be held at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

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

The Organized Crime Section in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the cases.

These cases are 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.

These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The case was investigated by agents and officers of the HSTF Salt Lake and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah.

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