A previously deported illegal alien living in Utah has been indicted after law enforcement found 240,000 fentanyl pills hidden in his furniture.
Crisantos Javier Sotelo Valencia, 27, was arrested last month after a separate drug-related indictment, the U.S. Department of Justice said this week. Phones seized during that arrest tipped law enforcement off to Valencia’s hidden drugs.
“On those cell phones, agents found several videos of Valencia with large amounts of U.S. currency and narcotics, including fentanyl,” the DOJ said. “The videos depicted composite wood in ready-to-build furniture where narcotics were concealed inside. “
Alleged Illegal Alien Drug Trafficker from Mexico Indicted After Agents Seize Approximately 240,000 Fentanyl Pills Stashed Inside Wooden Furniture
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— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 29, 2026
A search warrant executed on March 25 at Valencia’s home uncovered 24 kilos, or roughly 240,000 fentanyl pills, “hidden inside wooden panels” of his furniture.
Valencia faces charges of fentanyl possession with intent to distribute, and will appear before a jury in July.
According to the DOJ, Valencia, who’s from Mexico, was last deported on October 30, 2025.
The Trump administration said on Wednesday, which was National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Customs and Border Protection has seized 12,743 pounds of fentanyl at the border since the president’s second term began.
“The Biden administration left our border wide open for drug cartels to pour drugs into country and profit off of killing Americans. Under President Trump, we are dismantling drug cartels. Thanks to our secure border, we have cut down the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our communities,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “We have saved countless American lives by stopping these poisons from entering the country.”
