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SALT LAKE CITY — Two men were indicted on federal drug charges Wednesday, in two separate cases that uncovered over 100,000 fentanyl pills, according to investigators.
Sabino Osvaldo Gomez-Perez, a 36-year-old resident of Salt Lake County, was suspected of using a motel room to house drugs as part of a larger drug trafficking organization "believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in the District of Utah," charging documents say.
A search warrant was executed on Oct. 9, and officers found approximately 58,000 fentanyl pills, the charges say. During an interview after the arrest, investigators said in court documents that Gomez-Perez "admitted to possessing the narcotics found in the motel room" and admitted to "previously distributing narcotics in Utah."
Another man, 30-year-old Salt Lake County resident Yoni Lerma-Renteria, also known as Yoni Lerma-Acosta, was also suspected of working for a "drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics," court documents say.
A search warrant executed the same day as the one served on Gomez-Perez, Oct. 9, uncovered an estimated 45,000 fentanyl pills and 15 grams of cocaine in the suitcase of Lerma-Renteria's vehicle, according to charges.
Lerma-Renteria admitted to transporting the drugs from Arizona to Utah, court documents say. It is unclear whether these two investigations are related.
Both men are charged with the possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien.
According to court documents, Lerma-Renteria has been removed from the country three times — in January 2013, December 2019 and January 2020. Gomez-Perez has been deported five times — in May 2013, June 2014, May 2015, August 2018 and May 2022, charges say.
Separate initial court appearances for the two are scheduled for Oct. 30 at the District Court in Salt Lake City.
