Driver arrested after K-9 helps troopers find meth, fentanyl in vehicle during traffic stop

Iron County Sheriff's K-9 Vojak sits in front of drugs seized during a traffic stop, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 6, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A driver pulled over for speeding on Interstate 15 early Sunday was subsequently arrested and booked into jail after police reportedly found 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 10,000 fentanyl pills inside the vehicle.

Rafael Escobar, 25, was booked into Iron County Jail following the traffic stop, which occurred about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper used his radar to clock the vehicle at 81 mph in a 75 mph zone on northbound I-15 in Cedar City, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in support of Escobar’s arrest. 

After the trooper began to follow the vehicle, he also observed it following another vehicle too closely, at which point he initiated a traffic stop at approximately mile marker 60.

“While I was working on a citation, I began to be suspicious that the occupants were involved in criminal activity,” the trooper wrote in the probable cause statement.

Besides the driver, who was identified as Escobar, the other occupant of the vehicle was a 21-year-old female passenger, the statement said.

Iron County Sheriff’s Cpl. Shawn Peterson and his K-9 partner Vojak were then called in to assist. Vojak alerted to an odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle, the statement said.

During the subsequent search of the vehicle, investigators reportedly found approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 3 pounds of fentanyl pills, packaged in two cardboard boxes.

Rafael Escobar booking photo, Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 6, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

The total street value of those drugs is estimated to be at least $700,000, according to investigators.

“We also located a package of THC edibles, a THC infused drink, and a joint in the vehicle,” the trooper wrote, adding that the driver admitted he did not have a medical marijuana card.

Escobar, who remains in custody at Iron County Jail, faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, in addition to four misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs or paraphernalia and one misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended or revoked license. He also faces driving infractions related to speeding and following too closely.

Escobar made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon via videoconference before 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen. His next scheduled appearance is a detention hearing Dec. 15.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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