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LAKE POINT, Tooele County — Five Honduran nationals were arrested and a large amount of drugs — including 6 kilos of methamphetamine — were seized Wednesday in Tooele County by state and federal agents.
The large drug bust was the result of an ongoing undercover operation being conducted by agents from the Utah Attorney General's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Following multiple undercover drug purchases, investigators served a search warrant on a home in Lake Point "and seized approximately 6 kilos of methamphetamine along with large quantities of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, thousands of suspected fentanyl pills, packaging materials, cash and a firearm in the basement," according to several police booking affidavits.
Approximately half a pound of heroin was seized, according to the attorney general's office.
Fernando Josue Baca-Diaz, 19, Marco Javier Diaz-Canales, 23, Iris Jackeline Gomez-Serrano, 29, Nery Barahoma-Lorenzana, 32, and Efran Adonay Diaz-Cruz, 30, all from Honduras, were each arrested for investigation of multiple counts of drug distribution. Four children living in the house, including a 6-month-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were taken into state protective custody.
One man told investigators he arrived at the Lake Point house the day before and "just barely crossed the border into the U.S. from Honduras" and "that he came here 'to work,'" one affidavit states. Another suspect allegedly admitted to agents that he was involved in drug distribution and "was teaching" at least one of the others how to do it.
Investigators say each suspect is in the country illegally and their only source of income is through drug distribution.
