A Utah drug trafficking ring has been caught, and a man has been charged with multiple criminal charges

After a months-long FBI investigation into a drug trafficking operation in Utah, a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City delivered an indictment, charging a foreign national residing in the state with various narcotics charges.

The charges against Luis Refugio Brindas Guzman, 27, of Salt Lake County include possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien, and reentry of a previously removed alien.

The FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force initiated an investigation into Guzman and other drug traffickers in July 2024. According to a news release by the District Attorney’s Office, undercover agents organized a meeting in October 2024 to purchase “a large quantity of methamphetamine.”

Guzman arrived for the meeting, and officers searched his car. They allegedly discovered around 6,682 grams of methamphetamine in Guzman’s truck and arrested him.

The FBI subsequently executed a search warrant at Guzman’s home, seizing around 7,145 grams of methamphetamine, 1,215 grams of heroin, 3,587 grams of fentanyl (equivalent to over 35,000 tablets), and a 9mm handgun.

This is part of an operation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces to target high-level criminal groups.

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