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OREM — Three men were arrested last week after 16 pounds of meth was discovered in the car they were in, police said.
Nathan Karner, 35, of Provo, Adolfo Parra, 23, and Jorge Almonte, 20, of Arizona, were arrested and booked into Utah County Jail on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, according to jail records. Karner was also being held on a federal warrant.
Orem police said they saw Parra and Almonte get inside Karner’s vehicle with a large black duffel bag shortly after 9:05 a.m. on Thursday, according to a jail report. The officers pulled the vehicle over at 360 S. State after a traffic violation.
During the traffic stop, in which it was discovered Karner did not have a license in his possession, a K9 unit was brought in and indicated there were drugs inside the vehicle. Officers found just over 16 pounds of meth packed into 1-pound plastic containers inside the duffel bag after conducting a search of the vehicle, according to the report.
All three men were arrested at the scene. The report also stated Almonte had marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his possession.
Both Almonte and Parra, who are cousins, denied knowing what was in the bag, the report stated. Almonte told police he and Parra had come to Orem “in search of snow” after they had made a trip to Flagstaff but there was no snow to snowboard on.
Karner, who first told police he did not know the other two men, later told officers he did know the men and was told to drive them to a hotel, where he would be paid for the transportation, the report said.
The report added all three had ties to drug cartels and each were being held without bail.
