An indictment has been made against Manuel Santos-Ramirez, a Mexican national residing in Salt Lake City without documentation, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. Santos-Ramirez, 32, is facing federal charges for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, and Santos-Ramirez had his initial appearance in court on Thursday, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The investigation leading up to the indictment began in July 2025 when the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force started looking into a drug trafficking organization, DTO. A controlled purchase of methamphetamine in August 2025 led to Santos-Ramirez's arrest after he was observed arriving in a silver Ford F-150 pickup truck. Following this vehicle led agents to a Salt Lake City residence, where both the residence and the truck were later searched upon obtaining a warrant. Law enforcement officers found a total of 5,843 grams of methamphetamine, half in the pickup truck and the other half inside the residence. The substances promptly field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
The upcoming trial for Santos-Ramirez is scheduled for November 14, 2025, where he will be tried by a jury in the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse. Senior U.S District Court Judge Clark Waddoups will oversee the proceedings in courtroom 7.2. Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah is the official who announced the indictment, with the case being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Reichman of the same district.
