CEDAR CITY — Authorities arrested three men just north of Cedar City early Monday after a search of their vehicle reportedly yielded 60 pounds of methamphetamine.
According to a probable cause statement filed in support of the trio’s arrest, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a white sedan around midnight, late Sunday or early Monday, on northbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 67.
According to the affidavit, the vehicle, which was reportedly traveling slowly, had “significant” window tinting in its front side windows, along with its rear window. The windows’ light transmittance level was later measured to be 8%, far below Utah’s current legal limit of 43%.
“During the course of my traffic stop, I became suspicious of further criminal activity while talking to the driver,” the arresting trooper wrote.
According to the affidavit, the trooper then deployed his K-9 service animal to conduct a free air sniff of the vehicle, and the dog gave a positive indication to the presence of narcotics.
During the subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle, officers reportedly located three bags containing 59 packages of a white crystal-like substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine. The drugs weighed approximately 60 pounds, the affidavit states.
Booked into Iron County Jail on Monday morning were Steve Fierro, 25, Jose Garcia, 23, and Jose Angel Luevanos, 26. All three face charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony. Fierro, who was driving, also was charged with the window tint violation, an infraction.
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.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.