Three traffic stops in the span of two days resulted in the seizure of 100 pounds of methamphetamine and 500-1,000 oxycodone pills by Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) troopers.
Beginning Tuesday at approximately 8:39 a.m., a tropper stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on I-70 in Emery County.
“The vehicle contained two male occupants,” UHP shared. “During the course of the stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity, specifically drug trafficking. A narcotic dog was deployed and subsequently gave a positive indication to the presence of narcotic odor coming from the vehicle.”
A probable cause search then ensued and yielded 20 pounds of methamphetamine and 500-1,000 oxycodone pills. According to the UHP, it is suspected the drugs originated in Southern California and were destined for Canton, Ohio.
The second traffic stop came less than two hours later at nearly the same location on I-70. Another probably cause search with a narcotic drug revealed 41 pounds of methamphetamine. It is suspected the methamphetamine originated in Compton, Calif. and was destined for Omaha, Neb.
Then, on Wednesday at approximately 5:05 p.m., a northbound vehicle on I-15 in Iron County was stopped for a traffic violation. During the stop, the trooper observed signs of drug use from the occupants. He observed a meth pipe in plain view in the passenger seat. A probable cause search yielded 39 pounds of methamphetamine. It is suspected the methamphetamine originated in Los Angeles, Calif. and was destined for Colorado.
According the UHP, the total value of the methamphetamine seized is over $2.2 million.
