Christopher Gerard Ruiz, Fentanyl Trafficking, Utah 2023

⏱ 2 min read

A traffic stop on I-15 in southern Utah turned into a massive fentanyl bust in October 2023. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a car driven by Rachel Marie Aponas, 34, of Las Vegas, Nevada, with three kids under 10 in the backseat. The passenger, Christopher Gerard Ruiz, 42, was hiding 30,000 fentanyl pills worth 2,700 grams in a lunch cooler in the trunk.

Aponas initially admitted to having methamphetamine in the car, but the real prize was the fentanyl pills, which field-tested positive and were later confirmed by the Utah state crime lab. The seizure also included a methamphetamine pipe, methamphetamine, cell phones, and a digital scale.

Ruiz and Aponas were arrested, and the kids were taken by the Department of Child and Family Services. In a plea deal, Ruiz pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025, to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 92 months in prison. Aponas received a 28-month sentence on May 14, 2025, with credit for time served.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak slammed the couple’s recklessness, saying, ‘The safety of children is a top priority… The fact that they had 30,000 fentanyl pills and methamphetamine within arm’s reach of the children is unimaginable.’

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