24 people accused in massive drug and money laundering operation in Utah

Megan Brugger
·3 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Twenty-four people, including a Utah business owner, are facing federal charges for their roles in a massive drug and money laundering operation from Utah to Mexico and Honduras.

More than $20 million were estimated to have been laundered since January 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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On Monday, a federal judge ordered the last of 23 individuals in a large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering case detained.

The total of those individuals now in custody is 22 out of the 23 who were charged with 33 federal crimes, including laundering millions of dollars via wire transfers from Utah to Mexico and Honduras, the federal prosecutors said. A financial institution is also charged in the indictment.

Georgina Espinoza-Grajeda, 40, of Eagle Mountain, the owner and operator of  Multiservicios Lokos LLC in South Salt Lake City, as well as her employee Jesid Dadiana De Sutter, 50, of Sandy, were at the center of a complex conspiracy to secretly and illegally wire millions of dollars in proceeds of narcotics trafficking to suppliers in Mexico and Honduras, the DOJ said.

Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter laundered the money by falsifying wire transfer information to avoid getting caught. Multiservicios Lokos LLC was allegedly the “laundering hub” for multiple drug trafficking organizations, the DOJ said.

According to the DOJ, court documents allege that from at least January 2022 to November 2023, Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter operated their money remitting business and laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds deposited by their co-defendants trafficking in fentanyl, heroine, and cocaine throughout the Wasatch Front.

Together, law enforcement agents and officers reportedly seized 62,000 fentanyl pills, 24.5 pounds of heroine, 8.5 pounds of cocaine, five firearms, and $237,000 in cash.

Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter are charged with conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to structure transactions to evade reporting requirements, conspiracy to evade suspicious activity reporting, and anti-money laundering requirement, the DOJ said.

The remaining defendants named in the indictment are below:

  • Guadalupe Aracely Vargas Ruelas, 24, of Mexico and West Valley City

  • Multiservicios Lokos LLC, South Salt Lake City

  • Rodrigo Andres Droguett-Almendra, 26, of Chile and Orem

  • Erik Rojas-Moreno, 18, of Mexico and Salt Lake City

  • Fredis Omar Archaga-Ponce, 41, of Honduras and Sandy

  • Santos Reynerio Lemuz-Ortega, 37, of Honduras and Sandy

  • Ever Nohe Murillo-Raudales, 34, of Mexico and Cottonwood Heights

  • Jose Nixon Escoto-Ortez, 44, of Honduras and West Jordan

  • Vicente Ortez-Zuniga, 42, of Honduras and West Jordan

  • Wilmer Arnoldo Romero-Soto, 45, of Honduras and West Valley

  • Rigo Adolfo Melendez-Martinez, 43, of Honduras and West Valley

  • Cristian Antonio Valle-Acosta, 22, of Honduras and West Valley

  • Yahir Acosta-Melendez, 20, of Honduras and West Valley City

  • Isaac Antonio Arteaga-Acosta, 39, of Honduras and Midvale

  • Edilberto Melendez-Ponce, 37, of Honduras and Salt Lake City

  • Henry Arita-Lozano, 34, of Honduras and Midvale

  • Frances, Dalyana Power-Escobar, 31, of Honduras and Midvale

  • Kevin Ariel Ruiz-Aguilar, 34, of Honduras and Riverton

  • Milton Ivan Acosta Hernandez, 37, of Honduras and Sandy

  • Miguel Fierro, 48, of Mexico and West Jordan

  • Sandy Contreras Espinoza, 32, of Honduras and West Jordan

  • Cristian Escobar-Gomez, 27, of Mexico and West Valley

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, FBI Special Operations Group, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Marshals Service, Adult Parole and Probation, Park City Police Department, Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force, American Fork Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, Sandy Police Department, South Jordan Police Department, South Salt Lake Police Department, South Salt Lake Business License Department, West Jordan Police Department, West Valley Police Department, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, and the Utah State Bureau of Investigations.

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