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CEDAR CITY — A California man arrested for investigation of DUI in Cedar City Sunday morning is facing felony drug trafficking charges after officers reportedly found approximately $5 million worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl inside his vehicle.
Julio Partida-Pantoja, 50, was booked into Iron County Jail just before 8 a.m. Sunday. He is being held on suspicion of two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, along with misdemeanor counts of interfering with an officer, having an open container of alcohol inside a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of Partida-Pantoja's arrest, at approximately 3:22 a.m. Sunday, an Iron County sheriff's deputy observed a white Cadillac at the intersection of 200 North and 1400 West remain stationary when the light turned green.
After the deputy turned left in his vehicle, he said he watched the Cadillac in his rear-view mirror.
