Two Men in Utah Facing Federal Drug Charges After Law Enforcement Seize Approximately 100,000 Fentanyl Pills

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging two Utah residents, one of which is a Honduran national who lacks legal status in the United States. The defendants are charged with a federal drug crime after approximately 100,000 individual field-tested fentanyl pills were seized by law enforcement during an executed search warrant.

Elvin Isaac Vega Zuniga, 19, an undocumented Honduran national, and Andrew Estefan Valle Acosta, 19, both living in West Valley City, Utah, were charged by complaint on September 4, 2025.

According to court documents, since May 2025, agents with the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force have been investigating a drug trafficking organization. During a controlled purchase of fentanyl, agents identified a residence in West Valley City that the organization was allegedly using to distribute fentanyl. On September 2, 2025, a search warrant was obtained and executed at the West Valley City residence and agents seized approximately 100,000 individual pills, which field-tested positive for fentanyl.

Additionally, Vega Zuniga is in the United States illegally and was found by ICE in 2023. He was notified at that time of his illegal status and given a "notice to appear" in his immigration case. Despite being aware of his pending removal proceedings, Vega Zuniga engaged in the trafficking of fentanyl.

Vega Zuniga and Valle Acosta are charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for September 19, 2025, at 1:30 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.

Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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