SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a previously removed illegal alien from Honduras with drug trafficking and immigration crimes after agents recovered over 4,500 grams of fentanyl.
Francisco Antonio Rodriguez Raudales, 32, residing illegally in Salt Lake City, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on September 10, 2026.
According to court documents, on September 9, 2026, agents conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl during an undercover operation from a known source of supply for a drug trafficking organization. At the controlled purchase location, Rodriguez Raudales allegedly removed a large bag of blue pills from a backpack that field-tested positive for fentanyl (1081.9 grams). As a result, Rodriguez Raudales was detained. In addition to the large bag of fentanyl, agents recovered a small bag of blue pills on Rodriguez Raudales (69.05 grams) which field-tested positive for fentanyl. During a search of Rodriguez Raudales’s apartment, agents recovered additional bags of blue pills that field-tested positive for fentanyl (2,318.79 grams), and a package of powder that field-tested positive for fentanyl (1,105.38 grams). In total, agents recovered 4,575.12 grams of fentanyl during the operation.
Rodrigez Raudales was previously removed from the United States on March 8, 2012, and December 13, 2023.
Rodriguez Raudales is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and reentry of a previously removed alie006E. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for November 24, 2026 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF). Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.