Another big meth bust for UHP troopers


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ST. GEORGE — The Utah Highway Patrol made a large methamphetamine bust Tuesday near the Utah-Arizona border.

The incident is the latest in what troopers say is an increase in large shipments of meth being shipped through the Beehive State.

A trooper stopped a Ford Taurus about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. The trooper was checking license plates and discovered the vehicle registration "didn’t exist in the system," said UHP Sgt. Jimmy Banks.

Upon further questioning, the trooper learned the driver did not own the vehicle. That raised enough suspicion that a police K-9, Titan, was called to the scene.

The drug-sniffing K-9 "hit" on the floor area below the front seats, Banks said. Troopers then noticed there was a difference in the floor level, he said.

Investigators removed the seats and found two "trap doors," according to the UHP.

"The doors were opened, and troopers located several packages that were brick shaped, wrapped in plastic. Forty-two packages were removed from the compartments," the UHP said in a prepared statement.

The meth added up to approximately 50 pounds.

Rudy Ramirez, 27, of Las Vegas, was arrested. Investigators believe the meth came from California and was being delivered to somewhere in the Midwest.

In February, the UHP and State Bureau of Investigation announced approximately 110 pounds of methamphetamine was seized during a two-week period. Two days after that announcement, troopers found 100 pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags in a vehicle pulled over on I-80.

(Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)
(Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)

As of Thursday, Capt. Tyler Kotter with the State Bureau of Investigations said approximately 270 pounds of meth, 1,250 pounds of marijuana, 5 pounds of heroin, 2 pounds of cocaine and 1,000 opioid pills had been seized by troopers statewide in Utah.

It's the meth, however, that's catching the attention of investigators. Kotter said meth is currently cheap to make and is selling for approximately $4,500 per pound on the street whole sale. That cost is increased once it gets to street level sales.

Nearly all of the meth being seized is believed to be coming from south of the U.S. border, Kotter said. He also noted that most of the methamphetamine troopers are finding is passing through Utah and was not intended to be delivered here. However, he said it also showed there is a troubling demand for dangerous drug.

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