Police seize 40 pounds of suspected meth, fentanyl pills during I-15 stop near Dixie Drive exit

Multiple plastic bindles of suspected fentanyl pills are allegedly recovered from vehicle during traffic stop on Interstate 15 in St. George, Utah, March 13, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A vast amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine was seized during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in St. George Sunday afternoon.

Several large plastic bags of suspected methamphetamine allegedly recovered from vehicle during traffic stop on Interstate 15 in St. George, Utah, March 13, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

A Washington City Police officer running drug interdiction was stationary in his patrol vehicle facing northbound traffic on I-15 near the Port of Entry when a vehicle passed by with the license plate partially obscured, according to charging documents filed with the court. 

The officer followed the car and noticed the bracket around the plate covering two of the numbers, making them impossible to see. He then got behind the vehicle heading north into St. George.  

While following the car, the officer noticed the driver reportedly change lanes without signaling, as noted in the report, which is when a traffic stop was initiated and the car was pulled over near the Dixie Drive Exit shortly after 5 p.m. 

While speaking to the driver, 39-year-old California resident Maria Estafana Gomez, of San Jose, the officer noted a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle and when asked, the driver said she did not have a valid driver’s license. 

The officer also noticed the driver’s voice seemed to be cracking and her hands were shaking, signs of “extreme nervousness,” he wrote, and when he asked if the driver had a medical marijuana card, she stated she did not. She then reached under the seat and grabbed a small clear plastic baggie of suspected marijuana and handed it over to police. 

She was asked to exit the car, and according to the report, when asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, the driver responded by saying “yes” and told the officer she was “loaded” with methamphetamine. The officer said this term typically is used to indicate the car contained a large amount of narcotics that were being trafficked across the country.  

The driver was detained while officers began to search the vehicle. In the trunk, they found a large white plastic bag that contained several large green plastic gallon-sized bags filled with suspected methamphetamine. 

In the back passenger seat area police recovered a large cardboard box that contained several more gallon-sized packages of the same substance. 

Officers also recovered several bundles that contained blue pills consistent with fentanyl-laced pills. 

Officers also noticed the carpet on both sides of the vehicle appeared to have been manipulated, and when they attempted to pull the carpet back, they realized it had been glued to the floorboard. This is inconsistent with the methods used by the factory, according to the report, and the officer added that glue was never used inside vehicles during the manufacturing process. 

When the carpet was pulled back, officers found two large compartments in the floorboard area of the car that ran from the back of the vehicle to the front of the car, one compartment on each side.The passengers side contained several large plastic bags with suspected methamphetamine, as well as additional bindles of suspected fentanyl pills, while the compartment on the driver’s side was empty. 

In total, an estimated 40 pounds of methamphetamine and 5-10 pounds of fentanyl pills were recovered and collected as evidence.  

The suspect was arrested and interviewed by Homeland Security Investigations agents and then transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility. She faces multiple charges, including two second-degree felony counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She also faces one misdemeanor count each of possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, driving on a denied license and one count of altering a vehicle compartment for contraband.

Fentanyl killing Utahns at alarming rate 

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, primarily reaches the United States through Mexico, where recent trends indicated fentanyl production is increasing, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA also says that drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram – and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

According to a report recently released by Utah Poison Control, the number of deaths involving fentanyl more than doubled from 2019 to 2020, which was an increase of more than 125%, a trend that continued into 2021, which the center said is “an alarming rate.” 

The report also states the Utah Highway Patrol reported a 900% increase in the number of fentanyl seizures reported for the first quarter of 2021 – from January through March, when compared to the amount of fentanyl seized in 2020 for the entire year.  

Fentanyl is distributed as counterfeit, or “pressed” pills, similar to what was found during the search on Sunday, and these counterfeit pills are now nearly indistinguishable from authentic pharmaceutical pills or tablets. These tablets now account for more than 60% of all fentanyl samples submitted to the Utah Crime Lab, the Poison Control report says. 

Following the arrest in Washington City on Sunday, Gomez 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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