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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man suspected of dealing drugs throughout Salt Lake County was arrested Thursday after agents seized about 50 pounds of meth from three locations.
Fermin Castro Tovar, 25, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of three counts of drug distribution.
Tovar was the main target of an ongoing investigation by the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force and the FBI, according to a police booking affidavit. Thursday morning, while Tovar was at an undisclosed "job site," agents served the first of three search warrants.
"Agents proceeded to serve the first search warrant at his storage unit which ... yielded approximately 25 pounds of suspected methamphetamine," the affidavit states.
As Tovar was driving back to his residence, agents pulled him over and arrested him without incident. He claimed he had about 6 more pounds of meth inside his residence and a second warrant was served, according to the affidavit.
When questioned, Tovar said he was "being coordinated and directed by a source of supply in Mexico. He admitted to distributing methamphetamine about two times a week in the Salt Lake County area," the arrest report states.
Tovar was then questioned about an apartment he rented at the Shadowbrook Apartments complex, 3852 S. 1845 West.
"He admitted using this apartment for storing some of the methamphetamine. He advised he only used this apartment to store the drugs and no one resided at this apartment," according to the affidavit.
Agents obtained a third search warrant for that apartment and found "a large trash bag with approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine and a case with approximately 5 more pounds," the affidavit states.
Police say Tovar, who is from Mexico, has "a history of deportation" and an immigration hold was placed on him Thursday by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents.
