CEDAR CITY — Two suspected drug traffickers were arrested in Cedar City on Saturday after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper stopped their car for allegedly traveling too slowly, in addition to having an expired registration.
Booked into Iron County Jail on Saturday were Kevin Eduardo Beltran-Medina, 26, and passenger Angel Gustavo Beltran-Medina, 20. Each man faces one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, in addition to various other charges.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of their arrests, at approximately 9:15 a.m. Saturday near mile marker 55, a UHP trooper who was stationary in the median observed a northbound gold Honda Accord pass by him at a speed estimated to be 10-15 mph lower than the posted speed limit.
“I found this to be odd and pulled out to look at the vehicle,” the arresting trooper wrote in the affidavit, adding, “I caught up to the vehicle and conducted a records check on the vehicle which revealed that the registration expired on 1/20/22.”
Additionally, after the vehicle was pulled over near mile marker 60, it was found to have window tinting that was darker than what is legally allowed in Utah, the report states.
As the trooper began speaking with the occupants of the vehicle, he radioed for backup, requesting a trooper who was more fluent in Spanish.
The arresting trooper said he could detect the odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, and saw multiple open containers of beer, including one at the passenger’s feet.
The two occupants of the car told officers they were on their way from Las Vegas to Colorado to visit a cousin, the affidavit states. Although their place of residence was not specified, the probable cause statement did indicate that both men are possibly undocumented aliens.
After the troopers had asked for and received permission to search the vehicle, they reportedly found 7.5 pounds of methamphetamine in a plastic bag in the trunk.
As of Monday, both men remain held without bail in Iron County Jail awaiting their first court appearance. In addition to the second-degree felony drug possession charge, both men also face misdemeanor counts of drug and paraphernalia possession, along with having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
In addition, Kevin Beltran-Medina, who had been driving, faces three infractions: not having a valid driver license, driving a vehicle with expired registration and the window tint violation.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials 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.
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