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PARK CITY — A routine traffic stop turned into a good-sized drug bust on I-80 Thursday.
Just after 9 a.m., a Park City police officer and Summit County sheriff's deputy, working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration's Metropolitan Task Force, pulled over a vehicle on eastbound I-80 because of tail light violation.
While questioning the driver, the officers' suspicions were raised because of the driver's answers, said Park City Police Capt. Phil Kirk. They summoned Summit County sheriff's K-9 "Recon" and his handler to the scene.
The drug-sniffing dog made a "hit" on the trunk of the vehicle. A search of the trunk revealed 16 pounds of marijuana in packages stuffed in the spare tire compartment, Kirk said.
The driver and his passenger told police they were coming from California and headed to New York.
Steven Barnett, 47, of Watsonville, Calif., was arrested for investigation of drug possession with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The passenger, 46-year-old Reginald Wilcoxen, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., was arrested for investigation of drug possession with intent to distribute.
