Two Utah residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on charges related to the possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The indictment follows the seizure of approximately 100,000 pills that tested positive for fentanyl during a search warrant executed at a residence in West Valley City.
Elvin Isaac Vega Zuniga, 19, an undocumented Honduran national, and Andrew Estefan Valle Acosta, 19, both residing in West Valley City, were initially charged by complaint on September 4, 2025. According to court documents, since May 2025, agents from the FBI and the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force had been investigating a drug trafficking organization. A controlled purchase led agents to identify the West Valley City residence allegedly used for distributing fentanyl. On September 2, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant at this location and seized about 100,000 individual pills.
Authorities stated that Vega Zuniga was previously found by ICE in 2023 as being in the United States illegally. He was notified of his status and given a notice to appear regarding his immigration case but is alleged to have continued involvement in fentanyl trafficking despite pending removal proceedings.
Both defendants are scheduled for their initial appearance on the indictment on September 19, 2025, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah announced the charges. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman is prosecuting the case.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which coordinates resources from various Department of Justice initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The operation aims to address illegal immigration issues and target cartels and transnational criminal organizations involved in violent crime.
“An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
