SLC Times

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has indicted two Arizona residents on charges related to a significant drug crime. Dominic Jared Arias Aceves, 22, and Cristo Alexander Urias Salazar, 32, are accused of possessing 40,000 fentanyl pills at a hotel in Salt Lake City.

The two individuals were initially charged by complaint on October 23, 2024. According to court documents, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force began investigating Aceves and Salazar in October 2024 as part of a larger probe into a drug trafficking organization operating in Utah. On October 21, agents executed a search warrant at their hotel room in Salt Lake City. During this operation, authorities seized nearly 4 kilograms of fentanyl and additional methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia.

Aceves and Salazar face charges for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Their initial court appearance is scheduled for November 8, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced the indictment. The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

This case forms part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations that pose threats to national security through a coordinated approach involving multiple agencies.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.