Gabriel Alexis Perez-Espinoza, Narcotics Trafficking, Utah 2021

A 29-year-old Mexican national and convicted felon has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for attempting to traffic a large amount of methamphetamine and heroin into Utah.

Gabriel Alexis Perez-Espinoza, a Mexican national living in the United States illegally, was sentenced on January 16, 2025, by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart to 70 months' imprisonment followed by three years' supervised release.

Perez-Espinoza pleaded guilty on January 16, 2025, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute, according to court documents and statements made at his change of plea and sentencing hearings.

On August 3, 2021, as part of an investigation, Utah County Sheriff deputies stopped a Ford F-150 near Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah, that Perez-Espinoza was driving. DEA agents seized approximately 4,446 grams of methamphetamine and 1,227.7 grams of heroin stored in a secret compartment attached to the underside of the vehicle.

Perez-Espinoza was taken into custody after DEA agents, working in an undercover capacity, communicated with him via cell phone about the purchase of large amounts of narcotics.

Perez-Espinoza was previously convicted in 2020 for reentry of a previously removed alien and has been deported from the United States on six previous occasions between 2015 and 2020.

Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah stated, 'The U.S. Attorney's Office works hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to reduce the scourge of dangerous narcotics and violence in our communities.'

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with valuable assistance from the Utah County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Assistant United States Attorney Seth Nielsen prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/mexican-national-and-convicted-felon-sentenced-prison-after-attempting-traffic-narcotics