WEBER COUNTY (ABC4) – A Weber County man was charged today after being arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday, Sept. 29, accused of intending to sell roughly 4,100 pills of fentanyl and 378 doses of heroin.

David Ellis, 39, was flying from Phoenix, Arizona to the Salt Lake Airport. Officers from the Weber County Sherriff’s Office say they alerted to Ellis’ travel due to an outstanding statewide warrant for felony fraud charges in Ogden and felony domestic violence charges in Riverdale. 

After verifying Ellis was on the flight, Officers say they met him at the airport and took him into custody. Police say Ellis had a tan-colored backpack and a black suitcase. The arresting officer, Cash Ricks of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force, said he searched Ellis during the arrest and found a “white crystal-like substance” in his front right pocket which reportedly later tested positive for methamphetamine. 

While detained by officials, Ellis reportedly admitted there was a large quantity of fentanyl in his check-on bag. He told Officers that the fentanyl was going to be taken to the Weber county area “to be distributed,” according to the booking affidavit. In his report, Officer Ricks said he had been investigating Ellis over “the past several months” for the distribution of fentanyl in the Weber County area.

After receiving a court-approved search warrant, Officer Ricks searched the black suitcase and tan-colored backpack in Ellis’ possession.

“I searched the black suitcase and located several clear plastic baggies containing different quantities of small round blue pills, which I believed to be Fentanyl based on my experience,” Ricks stated in his report. “I also located a plastic baggie containing a black tar-like substance. This substance was later NIK tested and indicated positive for Heroin.” 

According to Officer Ricks’ report, the total weight of the fentanyl was 419.4 grams, or approximately 4,100 pills, while the heroin weight approximately 37.8 grams or roughly 378 doses. 

Ellis was booked into the Weber County Jail and faces two first-degree felony charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and one third-degree felony charge of possession or use of a controlled substance.