SALT LAKE CITY — FOX 13 News has now learned the name of a second Utah agent accused of using a confidential informant to illegally sell bath salts and potentially profiting up to $300,000. The second suspect, Nicholas Kindle, now joinsDavid Cole in facing charges for the scheme.
According to court documents filed on December 30, beginning in 2021 Cole and Kindle began acquiring bath salts for the purpose of illegally selling them in the District of Utah. The pair are accused of using various ruses, including stealing the drugs from evidence or telling other law enforcement personnel that they needed them for investigative work.
Investigators say that from 2022 to the beginning of 2024 the pair sold the bath salts to a Homeland Security Investigations informant and permitted the informant to resell the bath salts and keep the profit.
None of the people who bought the bath salts from the informant were arrested by Cole or the other agent.
It was in March or April of 2024 when investigators say that Cole and Kindle would recruit a new informant to serve as a buyer for the bath salts. From March or April till October, the pair are accused of selling 25 grams of bath salts at least once a week to the informant for $5,000.
Court documents state that Cole and Kindle used Signal, an encrypted messaging application to communicate with the informant about details of where and when to meet for the transactions.
Once an investigation into the matter began in late October, investigators recorded 8 transactions where the drugs were illegally sold to the informant. Investigators say between April 2024 and December 2024 the pair distributed at least 1,097 grams of bath salts and profited at least $195,000.
The pair is also accused of theft of evidence meant to be seized by Homeland Security Investigations including thousands in cash, a diamond ring, and a Peruvian antiquity.
