ST. GEORGE — A trip to Lehi for two Southern California men was cut short after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper reportedly found nearly 6 pounds of heroin inside their car during a traffic stop on northbound Interstate 15 near Leeds on Tuesday evening.
Shortly before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, a UHP trooper conducted a traffic stop on a Honda Fit on northbound I-15 near milepost 23 in Washington County for a window tint violation, according to charging documents filed with the courts.
While speaking to the driver, 44-year-old Carlos Alberto Perez, of Long Beach, California, the trooper became suspicious of possible criminal activity and a K-9 team responded to the scene to assist, the report states.
Authorities say Perez consented to a search of his vehicle, while the passenger, Karl Kephart, 50, of Westminster, California, told troopers he did not consent to the search. Kephart also was listed as a registered owner of the vehicle.
After arriving, the K-9 officer was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle. When the animal indicated at the possible presence of illegal narcotics, both occupants were advised the car would be searched.
During the search, troopers say they recovered 5.8 pounds of suspected heroin concealed inside a child booster seat located in the back of the vehicle. The substances were packaged in a way that is consistent with drug trafficking, according to police.
While speaking to the suspects, troopers learned the men were heading to Lehi from Long Beach, California.
If broken down into street-level sales, the suspected heroin recovered from the vehicle is valued at nearly $200,000, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Both men were arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, where they were booked into jail. Each faces multiple charges that include second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of paraphernalia — each a misdemeanor.
The suspects remain in custody and are being held 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.
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