Mexican National Facing Drug and Immigration Charges

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –A Mexican national, in the United States illegally, appeared in court today after he was charged with drug and immigration crimes.

Juan Alexis Castanon-Chavez, 27, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was initially charged by complaint on March 3, 2025. A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment March 12, 2025.  

According to court documents, agents with the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force began an investigation into Castanon-Chavez and other co-conspirators of a drug trafficking organization suspected of distributing large quantities of narcotics into the United States. On March 2, 2025, agents arranged a controlled delivery of narcotics from Castanon-Chavez to an informant. Agents observed Castanon-Chavez drive to and away from the location of the controlled delivery in a Volkswagen Golf. Law enforcement conducted a stop of the vehicle for a traffic violation and a K9 officer alerted positive for narcotics. Castanon-Chavez was taken into custody. Inside the vehicle, agents seized approximately 7,930 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine.

Castanon-Chavez is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment was March 13, 2025 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for May 16, 2025.

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

The case is being investigated by the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF), consisting of the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force (DMNSF).

Assistant United States Attorney Vernon G. Stejskal 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (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.