Utah drug trafficking ringleader sentenced to 22 years in prison

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Magna man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after admitting to operating a criminal enterprise with ties to California and Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

Llobani Federico Figueroa, aka “Pablo,” 33, of Magna, Utah, was sentenced to 264 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty on Dec. 11, 2024, to continuing a criminal enterprise and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Additionally, Figueroa was ordered by the court to 10 years’ supervised release and forfeited over $300,000, three firearms, and two vehicles.

According to court documents, Figueroa “engaged in over a decade-long series of drug trafficking offenses “beginning at the age of 18. Between Dec. 2022 and Aug. 2023, Figueroa engaged in “continuous drug trafficking” as the primary conduit among multiple California and Mexico-based drug suppliers and distributors out of Utah.

Figueroa admitted to regularly obtaining methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine — having those substances brought to Utah by courier, then storing them at various locations in Utah before being sold. His enterprise, which reportedly consisted of five or more people, originally was brought to face justice among 28 total defendants in an 18-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City in Aug. 2023.

Furthermore, Figueroa admitted to supervising the operation, recruiting others, and organizing couriers on his behalf. He would then delegate other responsibilities to recruits in the organization, telling the court that the enterprise “could not have functioned” without the help of these others.

In addition to his convictions, Figueroa is the subject of three pending criminal cases in Utah, including possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a first-degree felony; distribution of methamphetamine, a federal class-A felony; and manslaughter, a second-degree felony.

“As a decades-long drug-trafficker, Mr. Figueroa has been a threat and danger to the people of our state,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah. “His well-deserved decades-long sentence will serve as a reminder that those who peddle poison into our communities in violation of federal law for their own financial gain will face justice and forfeit their ill-gotten gains.”

“An individual struggling with substance abuse isn’t just a statistic. It’s someone’s son, daughter, or a friend. Too many families have been devastated by an epidemic that Mr. Figueroa directly contributed to,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Drugs and violent crime go hand-in-hand. The FBI is committed to dismantling criminal organizations in our steadfast effort to keep our communities safe.”

This case was investigated jointly by the FBI Safe Streets Violent Task Force and West Valley City Police Department. It was subsequently prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

No further information is available at this time.