Over $1.5 million in fentanyl recovered from vehicle during traffic stop on I-15 south of St. George

Composite image with background stock photo; overlay stock image of St. George Police patrol units taken by Cody Blowers | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Officers seized 10 pounds of fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on northbound Interstate 15 in St. George over the weekend, adding to the current surge of the deadly potent drug.

On Saturday an officer noticed a black Ford Mustang cross over the white fog line adjacent to the right shoulder as the vehicle headed north shortly after 10 p.m. After following the car for nearly six miles, the officer stopped the vehicle at mile marker 7, just south of the St. George Boulevard exit.

Stock photo of Interstate 15 Exit 8 at St. George at the St. George Boulevard, St. George, Utah, Feb. 12, 2021 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

According to charging documents filed in support of the arrest, the officer approached the driver, identified as 26-year-old Deybin Y. Turcios-Doblado, who presented a driver’s license issued out of Mexico, as well as an identified card issued out of Utah.

While running a check on the vehicle, the officer was unable to locate any car registered under the VIN number provided on the insurance card. The driver then provided additional documentation for the newly purchased vehicle. Even with the additional information, the records check found no such vehicle on file.

When the officer ran a background check on the driver, the officer was advised of an active $2,700 warrant for the driver’s arrest, issued out of Midvale Justice Court by emergency dispatch.

At that point the driver was handcuffed and detained on the warrant, and officers found a pipe and what appeared to be cocaine during a search of Doblado’s pants pocket prior to transport.

Meanwhile, a K-9 unit responded to the traffic stop and conducted a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the report states, the animal alerted officers to the possible presence of narcotics.

A search of the vehicle ensued, during which officers reportedly recovered approximately 10 pounds of fentanyl pills, marked with an “M-30,” from the car. The estimated street value of the fentanyl seized was roughly $1.5 million.

The driver was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as third-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, based on the knife the officer reportedly found in the suspect’s pocket.

While the suspect was being processed at the jail, the arresting officer was advised by an agent with the Department of Homeland Security that Doblado was a citizen of Honduras and was in the country illegally.

The officer also noted that Doblado has ties to northern Utah and likely would flee to that area if released. Also noted was the fact the active warrant was connected to a case filed in 2016, and the suspect had failed to appear in court.

The officer requested a no-bail hold on the suspect, citing “it is highly likely [Doblado] will flee if he is not kept on a very high bail or no bail at all,” according to the request that was later signed by District Judge G. Michael Westfall.

Fentanyl surge with “no end in sight” 

Since March 3, St. George News and Cedar City News have reported on multiple traffic stops that combined have led to the recovery of more than 50 pounds of fentanyl. The total value of the narcotics recovered is estimated to be more than $6 million at street level pricing.

Counterfeit fentanyl, location and date not specified | Photo from U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, St. George News

A congressional report released in 2018 states “the surge of fentanyl is having a dramatic and deadly effect on our communities,” and stated that battling the surge will take an “all hands on deck” approach to combat the surge that appears to continue with “no end in sight,” the report states.

The report also found that the fentanyl crisis is exceptionally dangerous because of its high potency and the speed with which it reaches the brain. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill, whether swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through skin. To show how small of an amount two milligrams is, a sweetener packet at a restaurant table contains 1,000 milligrams.

St. George Police Capt. Jordan Minnick, who also serves as captain for the Washington County Drug Task Force, told St. George News last month that 40% of all fentanyl pills seized by police are found to contain a lethal dose of the drug, which is roughly 2 mg, meaning that nearly half of all fentanyl buyers are at risk of overdosing.

The main component is the enormous profit that can be made, which has fueled the surge in the amount of fentanyl entering the United States, according to the breakdown as outlined in the report.

To illustrate, a kilogram of heroin costs $80,000 at a distributor level, compared with a $5,000 price tag for a kilogram of pure fentanyl. The profits come in when the substance is broken down using cutting agents, which turns one kilo of pure fentanyl into 16-24 kilograms of cut fentanyl, which can then be sold for $80,000 per kilo at the wholesale level. Multiply that by 20 kilos, the midrange, and the end product can yield a profit of more than $1.3 million on what was originally a $5,000 investment.

The problem has only gotten worse in the five years since this report came out, according to a 2022 report by the Drug Enforcement Agency released last month which states that last year was an even deadlier year – a trend the agency says has been exacerbated by the Mexican cartels’ efforts to turn a quick profit.

To accomplish this, the DEA says, these groups are using raw, dangerous chemicals from China to cheaply manufacture the deadly synthetic opioid – fentanyl – that is then sold to unsuspecting buyers.

According to a White House report, drug overdose deaths have reached a historic high, which has left families and communities devastated from the more than 104,000 Americans who died from drug overdoses during the 12-month period ending in September 2021. 

Following the arrest on Saturday, the suspect is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Wednesday and remains in custody without bail.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders 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.

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