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Press Release

Multiple Foreign Nationals Accused of Distributing Large Amounts of Narcotics in Utah

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Utah
More than 28,000 fentanyl pills seized by the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Foreign nationals, living in Utah, will appear in court today after they were charged with multiple drug crimes last week for allegedly distributing fentanyl and heroin in the District of Utah.  

Jose Manuel Perez-Flores, 36, of West Valley City, Utah; Victor Flores Esquivel, 48, of West Valley City; Jaime Hernandez-Ruin, 26, of West Valley City; and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz, 28, of Murray, Utah, were initially charged by complaint and taken into custody on December 23, 2024.  A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment January 8, 2025.

According to court documents, since approximately September 2024, detectives with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) began investigating a group believed to be distributing large amounts of heroin and fentanyl throughout Salt Lake County. During the investigation, detectives conducted several controlled purchases of heroin. Following the controlled purchases, detectives obtained and executed search warrants on three residences on December 16, 2024. During one of the search warrants in West Valley City, detectives seized 436 grams of fentanyl (approximately 4,360 individual pills), 200 grams of heroin, $1,592 in cash, drug packaging material, and a digital scale. In a separate area of the residence, detectives also seized, 309 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 3,090 individual pills), 26 grams of heroin, and $1,041 in cash. Multiple electronic money wire transfer receipts, and cellular phones were also seized from the residence.

At a second residence in West Valley City, detective seized 39 grams of fentanyl (approximately 390 individual pills), and 82 grams of heroin, as well as cellular phones, drug packaging material, and several electronic wire transfer receipts. At a third West Valley City residence, detectives seized 1,912 grams of fentanyl (approximately 19,012 individual pills), and 269 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 2,069 individual pills) from a vehicle registered to Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz.  In total, 28,921 individual fentanyl pills, and 308 grams of heroin were seized.

Perez-Flores, Flores Esquivel, Jaime Hernandez-Ruiz, and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. All four defendants also face additional individual charges. Their initial appearance on the indictment is January 13, 2025, at 1:00 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.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Reichman of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/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. 
 

Contact

Felicia Martinez
Public Affairs Specialist
Felicia.martinez@usdoj.gov

Updated January 13, 2025

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Drugs
Press Release Number: 25-02