Two Park City men charged in cocaine sales to teenagers

A parents’ tip in February led Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies to what investigators say was a months-long cocaine pipeline reaching Park City teenagers, with drugs allegedly bought through digital payment apps and mailed into Utah from California. Andre Josiah Lopez, 24, and Gregory Lee Williams, 23, were each charged Monday in 3rd District Court with production of a controlled substance, a first-degree felony, and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.

The case began when the parents of a 16-year-old boy contacted deputies after learning their son had been buying and using cocaine. Charging documents say the teen later told investigators that he and other high school-aged friends had purchased cocaine from Lopez and Williams many times between November 2025 and February 2026. In one follow-up interview, the boy said he had bought cocaine from the two men about 40 to 50 times during that span, and that other juveniles were involved as well.

Investigators recovered a baggie from the teen that tested positive for cocaine. They also allege the sales were tied to Venmo and Apple Cash payments, with one teen using a pizza emoji in the Venmo memo line as a signal that the transaction involved cocaine. That detail underscored how the alleged operation blended into everyday teenage habits while still putting children at risk in Park City and around Summit County.

Police also said the cocaine was being mailed into Utah from California, with U.S. Postal Service packages reportedly arriving about every 10 days before stopping at the end of February. Postal inspectors told deputies there had been a broader trafficking trend involving shipments from the Stockton, California, area. Lopez and Williams were arrested Thursday after a search warrant was served on their apartment, according to the case materials.

The concerns extended beyond sales to minors. An adult who said he also bought cocaine from the defendants told police that a teenager had to be taken to a hospital after using the drugs. He also warned the men that selling to minors could kill someone. The case lands in a state where drug poisoning is the leading cause of injury death, and Utah health data estimate about 11 people die each week from overdose in 2025. CDC youth data show 15% of U.S. high school students have ever used select illicit or injection drugs, including cocaine, a reminder that what investigators describe as a small retail network can quickly become a public-safety crisis for families, schools and law enforcement.