Mexican National and Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison After Attempting to Traffic Narcotics into Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gabriel Alexis Perez-Espinoza, 29, a Mexican national, and convicted felon living in the United States illegally, was sentenced today to 70 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release after he was attempting to traffic a large amount of methamphetamine and heroin into the District of Utah.

The sentence, imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart, comes after Perez-Espinoza pleaded guilty on January 16, 2025, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

According to court documents and statements made at Perez-Espinoza’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on August 3, 2021, as part of an investigation, Utah County Sheriff deputies stopped a Ford F-150 near Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah, that Perez-Espinoza was driving. Subsequently, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized approximately 4,446 grams of methamphetamine and 1,227.7 grams of heroin stored in a secret compartment attached to the underside of the vehicle.  Perez-Espinoza was taken into custody. Leading up to Perez-Espinoza’s arrest, DEA agents, working in an undercover capacity, were in contact with him via cell phone and communicated about the purchase of large amounts of narcotics.

Additionally, according to court documents, in 2020, Perez Espinoza was convicted for reentry of a previously removed alien and has been deported from the United States on six previous occasions between 2015 and 2020.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office works hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to reduce the scourge of dangerous narcotics and violence in our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “Thanks to this collaborative effort, we were able to successfully seize lethal drugs from potentially being distributed in our communities and prosecute the responsible offender who was in the United States illegally.”

“This is another example of DEA Special Agents working closely with our local and federal partners to ensure we get dangerous drugs being trafficked in Utah out of our neighborhoods,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. “Our thanks and appreciation to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah, for holding this defendant accountable for his actions.”

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Valuable assistance was provided by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and 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 prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.