SLC Times

An indictment was unsealed, and a foreign national living in Utah will remain in custody after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City this week. A U.S. Magistrate Judge ordered the defendant to remain in custody pending trial after he was allegedly attempting to sell fentanyl and heroin in the District of Utah.

According to court documents, Florentino Ramos-Salazar, 29, of West Valley City, Utah, became part of a DEA investigation in June 2024. During the investigation, agents attempted to stop a silver Jeep Cherokee that left a West Valley residence they were surveilling. The driver of the Jeep, later identified as Ramos-Salazar, allegedly initially attempted to evade agents in a parking lot before stopping. After searching the vehicle, agents seized 1,000 blue M-30 pills inside the Jeep. Following Ramos-Salazar’s arrest, agents executed a search warrant for a West Valley residence and seized approximately 958.5 grams of heroin, which field-tested positive. They also seized 4470 grams of fentanyl pills, which field-tested positive for properties of fentanyl.

Ramos-Salazar is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment was June 27, 2024, at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Holtan of the U.S. 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 communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime and make 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 communities; supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring; setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities; and measuring results.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

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