Foreign National Accused of Possessing 45,000 Fentanyl Pills is in Custody Facing Federal Charges

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a foreign national living in Utah with drug crimes after he allegedly possessed fentanyl with the intent to distribute it.

Yoni Lerma-Renteria, aka Yoni Lerma-Acosta, 30, of Salt Lake County, was initially charged by complaint on October 10, 2024, in the District of Utah.

According to court documents, in September 2024, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force began a criminal investigation of Lerma-Renteria and other members of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics. In October 2024, agents executed search warrants for Lerma-Renteria's residence and vehicle. During the search, agents recovered approximately 4,490.5 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl and 15 grams of field-tested positive cocaine. Agents estimated the fentanyl at approximately 45,000 fentanyl pills.

Lerma-Renteria is charged with possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and illegal reentry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for 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.

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

The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF).

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This effort 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.

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