ST. GEORGE —Three suspects, including one with an open California case alleging the inhumane punishment of a child, were arrested after troopers reportedly recovered two kilos of narcotics and hundreds of fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in Iron County.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was observing traffic from the I-15 median Sunday when a blue sedan slowly heading north in the fast lane drew the trooper’s attention as it passed.
According to charging documents filed with the courts, the trooper pulled out into traffic and began to tail the vehicle as it changed lanes from right to left for an unknown reason,” and in one instance the suspect’s vehicle reportedly cut off a gray Lexus while merging into the lane, the trooper reported.
The lane change started a chain reaction and left the Lexus following closely behind the suspect’s vehicle that was following “too close” behind a black SUV. The trooper activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop.
The suspect pulled off I-15 near mile marker 75 in Parowan and the trooper approached and spoke to the driver, Reinaldo Hernandez Ayala, 25, who said he did not speak English. Ayala had an ID card issued out of Mexico.
The front passenger, Sabas Espino Vejar, 22, was identified by his Washington state driver’s license and reportedly told the trooper the car belonged to his friend, but when asked, he said he “didn’t know his friend’s name,’ the report states. There was also a passenger in the back — Jorge Negrete Ayon Jr., age 24.
All three suspects hailed from Tulare County, California, 150 miles north of Los Angeles.
While speaking to the occupants, the trooper detected the odor of raw marijuana coming from inside the car. He said he became even more suspicious when the trio did not know the name of the car’s owner, nor were any of the men able to tell the trooper where they were headed, other than Utah. Additionally, they could not provide any reason as to why they were headed north.
Based on several factors, including that none of the occupants had a valid medical marijuana card, the occupants consented to a vehicle search. In the backseat the trooper recovered three packages that were reportedly hidden underneath the seat.
One of the vacuum-sealed bags contained a black substance consistent with heroin. A second rectangular package contained a white powder believed to be either methamphetamine or cocaine. And in a third vacuum-sealed package, the trooper recovered multiple baggies containing blue pills of suspected fentanyl.
The trooper also noted the backseat passenger was sitting atop a gel seat pad reportedly concealing the packages of narcotics.
Several 9 mm and 45 caliber rounds were found in a satchel located under the front seat, along with a small baggie of suspected marijuana and grinder, and in the glovebox was a jar of marijuana. All three suspects were arrested and transported to the UHP district office for investigation and processing.
At the office, the packages were weighed and the large bag containing the suspected heroin weighed one kilogram, as did the package of white powder. The bag containing the suspected fentanyl pills weighed in at nearly five ounces.
According to the report, the driver was identified as a member of the Mexican cartel who had many photos depicting assault weapons and marijuana grow operations. Authorities also learned Ayala had multiple aliases during a check of his criminal history, according to the report.
Investigators also learned the narcotics were bound for the Salt Lake City area.
From the front passenger, Vejar, troopers reportedly recovered multiple Mexican and U.S. employment cards during a search of the suspect’s wallet. A background check also revealed that Vejar had a number of weapons charges, including crimes related to the concealment and the discharge of a firearm.
The criminal check also revealed two separate felony cases filed in California against the suspect that are still open from last year and included kidnapping and inflicting corporal punishment charges. Under California law, the corporal punishment charge is applied in cases where a suspect “willfully” inflicts cruel or inhumane physical punishment upon a child, or if the accused causes a wound or injury upon a child that results in a traumatic physical condition.
Shortly after 4.m. on Monday, all three suspects were booked into the Iron County Jail and are facing three second-degree felony counts of possessoin with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
In addition, Vejar also faces misdemeanor marijuana and paraphernalia charges, while the driver, Ayala, faces a lane change infraction.
The trooper also requested that all three suspects be held without bail. He based this on the “large amount of narcotics” the trio was traveling in a vehicle with, in addition to all three men having strong ties to Mexico and the cartel, the trooper noted, making them a significant flight risk. The no-bail hold was signed and the suspects remain 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.
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