SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 24, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging two illegal aliens from Mexico with drug crimes after agents with the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force, and Homeland Security Task Force, seized approximately 98,800 fentanyl pills and other illicit drugs during the execution of multiple search warrants.
Eder Montoya-Rosales, aka Jesus Tadeo Gonzalez Estrada, 21, and Nazario De Jesus Del Campo Perez, 31, both residing residing illegally in Salt Lake City, were initially charged by complaint on April 9 of this year, says a news release issued by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
According to the allegations in court documents, beginning in February 2026, agents with the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force initiated a criminal investigation into Montoya-Rosales, Perez, and other members of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in the District of Utah, the release says.
“On April 8, 2026, agents executed multiple search warrants on residences and vehicles believed to be used by the defendants. During the search of Perez’s residence, agents located and seized approximately 9,747.99 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl; 1,330.34 grams of field-tested positive heroin; 84.70 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine; a suspected drug ledger; drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency. The fentanyl evidence is approximately 97,000 fentanyl pills.
“During the search of Montoya-Rosales’s vehicle, agents located and seized approximately 184.29 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl; 243.28 grams of field-tested positive heroin, and 15.81 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine. The fentanyl evidence is approximately 1,800 fentanyl pills. During the search of Montoya-Rosales’s residence, agents located and seized approximately 2.71 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl and a quantity of U.S. currency.”
Montoya-Rosales was previously removed from the United States on October 1, 2024, the statement says. Perez has been removed from the United States on multiple occasions, including March 26, 2014, July 26, 2019, and Nov. 5, 2024.
Montoya-Rosales and Perez are charged with multiple charges including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute heroin, and reentry of a previously removed alien, the news release says. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 24, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge 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 case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Assistant United States Attorney Seth Nielsen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
