🕒 Created · Updated

Former Mexican official Ricardo Verduzco Bernal faces trial after being arrested with 111,000 fentanyl pills in Utah.

Former Mexican government official Ricardo Verduzco Bernal was arrested in Salt Lake County, Utah, after federal agents discovered him in possession of 111,000 fentanyl pills. The 54-year-old former director of the Municipal Sports Institute of Guasave was in the United States on a visitor visa when the FBI drug unit conducted a controlled purchase, leading to a search warrant for his hotel room. During the search, agents found approximately 11,160 grams of fentanyl. The Department of Justice reported that Ricardo Verduzco Bernal will appear in court on August 26, 2026, at the Orrin G. Hatch Courthouse. The arrest highlights ongoing investigations into narcotics trafficking within Sinaloa, where several officials are accused of protecting the Los Chapitos faction and receiving bribes. Mexican political leaders have criticized the arrest, calling it an international embarrassment and evidence of corruption within the state government.

Sources