Man in jail after thousands of suspected fentanyl pills found in roof lining of pickup on I-15

Composite image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — More than 2,000 suspected fentanyl pills were recovered during a traffic stop on northbound Interstate 15 that was initiated when an officer noticed a pickup truck veer out of its lane near the Utah-Arizona border Wednesday night.

Stock image of northbound Interstate 15 just north of the Port of Entry at the Utah-Arizona border | St. George News

On Wednesday, a Washington City police officer running interdiction on Interstate 15 near the Utah-Arizona border noticed a gray Ford pickup truck headed north that crossed over into the solid white fog lane shortly before 9 p.m.

The officer dropped in behind the truck and conducted a traffic stop near mile marker 4.

While speaking to the driver, identified as 35-year-old Jaime Rivera-Jauregui, the officer asked him to sit in his patrol vehicle while a records check was run. While the officer was writing out a written warning for the traffic infraction, he became suspicious when the driver’s travel story continued to change over the course of the conversation.

The officer also noticed the driver’s speech was very rapid and his hands were shaking, signs of extreme nervousness, as noted in the report.

When asked, Rivera-Jauregui consented to a search of the pickup and a K-9 was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the vehicle, which is when the animal indicated to the possible presence of narcotics near the front driver’s side door.

Authorities say Rivera-Jauregui initially said there was nothing illegal in the pickup, but once the search began he told officers there was a large bag of pills hidden in the roof lining of the vehicle, pills he said he had purchased in California for $3,000.

Officers recovered a large black plastic bag where the suspect said it would be located, and inside they found a second clear bag that contained roughly 2,500 small blue pills consistent with fentanyl.

Rivera-Jauregui was handcuffed and during a search of his person, officers recovered a clear glass pipe from the front jacket pocket, along with a green metal vial from the pocket of his pants which the suspect later confirmed was methamphetamine, police say.

He was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia.

Photo of fentanyl pills for illustrative purposes only | Photo courtesy of the Utah Poison Control, St. George News

Due to the seriousness of the charge, and the fact that Rivera-Jauregui has ties to California and to Mexico, the suspect is being held without bail, according to the report.

This is one of several large fentanyl seizures for the Washington City Police Department over the last year. Officers in Washington City have recovered more than 12,500 fentanyl pills during a series of traffic stops in 2021. The estimated street value of Wednesday’s seizure is estimated to be in excess of $63,000.

Overall, Washington City Police officers have seized more than $3.2 million in illegal narcotics before the drugs ever reached their destination.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained. 

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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