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CEDAR CITY — A vehicle that was pulled over in southern Utah for window tint and tail light violations led to the discovery of more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs, police said.
Just after 9 a.m. Monday, a Volkswagen Jetta with a California license plate was pulled over on I-15 near Cedar City. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper then approached the two men in the vehicle.
"I explained the reason for the stop and they told me that they didn't understand English. I explained the stop in Spanish to the occupants and asked the driver for his license. While I was talking with the occupants, I could smell the heavy odor of cologne in the vehicle. I believed the cologne was being used as a cover odor," the trooper wrote in a police booking affidavit.
As the trooper continued talking to the men, he learned that neither had a valid driver's license.
A police K-9 did a "free air sniff" around the vehicle and troopers asked the driver for permission to search the vehicle.
"During the search, we located approximately a 1/2 pound of fentanyl pills located in a bag in the trunk belonging to the driver. We also located approximately 22 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the trunk in the rear quarter panels of the vehicle behind the carpet," the affidavit states.
Small amounts of cocaine and marijuana were also found, according to the troopers. The men claimed they were being paid to transport the drugs to Salt Lake City.
"The driver has a current (criminal) case for possession with intent to distribute out of California. The driver has only been in the United States since 2015 and the passenger for seven months," the affidavit notes.
Jesus Alfredo Hernandez Sanchez, 27, and Reyes Bladimir Lopez Sanxhes, 26, were each arrested for investigation of multiple counts of drug possession with intent to distribute and drug possession.
