Utah restaurant owner indicted on drug trafficking charges

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah restaurant owner was federally indicted this week and accused of trafficking narcotics out of his residence and business.

Jose Gildardo Soto-Moya, 58, was initially charged by complaint on Sept. 9 before being indicted Wednesday.

The Utah County Major Crimes Task Force started investigating Soto-Moya and others because they were allegedly associated with a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing heroin and other narcotics in Utah. Agents conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Soto-Moya at his restaurant in South Salt Lake in August, according to the charges.

After the purchase, agents obtained a search warrant for the restaurant and his residence in West Jordan. On Sept. 8, agents executed the search and located approximately $180,630 in cash packaged in cellophane and coffee grounds at his residence, the charges said.

"In my training and experience, the cash appeared to be prepped for transport to Mexico," the federal complaint said.

At the restaurant, agents found 1,027 grams of heroin and 4,047 grams of cocaine, some of which was packaged into 1-pound, half-pound and quarter-pound baggies, the charges said. According to court documents, Soto-Moya was previously removed from the U.S. in 2015 and born in Mexico.

He was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and reentry of a previously removed alien. Soto-Moya made his first court appearance on Thursday, and a trial is scheduled for November.

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