Photo shows a closeup image of an Iron County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle, Cedar City, Utah, May 14, 2022 | File photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Drug task force agents in Iron County arrested a suspected fentanyl dealer in the town of Beryl late Tuesday night.

Pedro Alejandro “Alex” Pinacho, 27, was booked into Iron County Jail shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday. He faces several charges related to possession of drugs and paraphernalia, including five second-degree counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

According to the probable cause statement filed in support of Pinacho’s arrest, Iron County Sheriff’s deputies on March 22 responded to a medical call involving a drug overdose in a trailer park in Beryl. The two individuals stated they had purchased blue M-30 fentanyl pills from Pinacho and another man who was living in the same trailer park.

Some 10 days later, on Tuesday April 2, Pinacho allegedly attempted to sell approximately 80 fentanyl pills to undercover agents with the Iron-Garfield-Beaver Counties Narcotics Task Force, who then took Pinacho into custody.

The affidavit also states that after obtaining a search warrant for Pinacho’s residence and vehicles, agents found approximately 80 fentanyl pills, powdered fentanyl, a spoon with burnt residue consistent with drug use and tinfoil with a burnt residue consistent with fentanyl pills. 

Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Pinacho also reportedly had another person’s financial card in his possession, the affidavit alleges.

“Pinacho has made several sales of fentanyl in the last two weeks and has traveled out of the state to acquire more fentanyl for local distribution,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit.

Pinacho is being held without bail in Iron County Jail as he awaits his initial court appearance.

This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

LATEST STORIES

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day’s news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!