Yoni Lerma-Renteria, Fentanyl Trafficking, Utah 2024

Approximately 45,000 fentanyl pills, valued at nearly $1.4 million, was seized from a Salt Lake County residence and vehicle, according to a federal indictment. Yoni Lerma-Renteria, 30, of Salt Lake County, was arrested on October 10, 2024, following a joint investigation by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force and other agencies.

The indictment charges Lerma-Renteria with possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien. If convicted, the defendant could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The investigation began in September 2024 and involved the execution of search warrants for Lerma-Renteria’s residence and vehicle, as well as the recovery of approximately 4,490.5 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl and 15 grams of field-tested positive cocaine.

Lerma-Renteria made his initial appearance on the indictment on October 30, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.

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