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Amanda Butterfield and Ashley Hayes ReportingDriving drunk led to a major drug bust in the Salt Lake Valley.
A Highway Patrol trooper stopped a driver last night who was swerving all over the road. The trooper discovered more than alcohol on the driver's breath. He found bag after bag of marijuana in the back of the car.
One of our photographers heard the traffic stop on police scanners. He checked it out and found there was more to the stop than a DUI citation. Troopers confiscated hundreds of pounds of fresh marijuana. We have video you'll only see on KSL.
Around 7:30 last night troopers pulled over 30- year-old Troy Coates on SR-201 at about 9000 West. They say he was driving erratically.
Once stopped, the trooper smelled alcohol and fresh- cut pot.
Inside Coates' car troopers found 350 pounds of marijuana worth 300-thousand dollars, in seven duffel bags.
Lt. Mark Zesiger/UHP: "It's a big deal. 350 pounds of marijuana that was probably coming into the Salt Lake area. That would probably put a big dent in the drugs here in this area, drivers who are driving under the influence of marijuana."
Coates failed a field sobriety test. He was booked on charges of possession, distribution, DUI, and other traffic violations.
Troopers tell us this afternoon that Coates remains uncooperative. So investigators are not sure where the marijuana was going.
Coates does not have a criminal record in the state of Utah, only traffic violations.
