An Illinois man who was said to be visiting his relatives in California was apprehended in Utah on Friday after police seized 101 pounds of methamphetamine in his truck.
Nephi police estimate the street value of the discovered drugs to be around $919,000.
Authorities have detained Carlos Guadalupe Navarro Ornelas, 37, and charged him with possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
Nephi police said they stopped Navarro’s vehicle on I-15 around 6:30 p.m. because it had a missing light on its license plate and “several indicators consistent with drug trafficking activity.”
Navarro said he went to California from Chicago on December 23 or 24, but a police booking affidavit noted that the Nephi officer who detained him “was previously aware the vehicle Carlos was driving had traveled into California on Jan. 2, leaving less than 24 hours later.” The arrest report does not describe how the officer became aware of this.
According to the affidavit, officials were doubtful of Navarro’s criminal involvement after hearing his statements.
According to the complaint, a narcotic detection K-9 named Grizz detected an odor emanating from the back passenger door, resulting in the finding of two large black garbage bags behind the vehicle’s front passenger seat. The bags included 100 baggies of methamphetamine weighing more than 101 pounds.
Police said it was another step in K-9 Grizz’s efforts to assist the Nephi Police Department in recovering more than 250 pounds of narcotics since his purchase in January 2023.
“This operation is a testament to our unwavering commitment to combating drug trafficking in our communities,” Nephi Police Chief Michael Morgan said in a statement. ”
We are making significant efforts to guarantee the safety and well-being of our residents by focusing on the elimination of criminal networks that manufacture and distribute dangerous narcotic drugs.