Utah Highway Patrol seizes $890K worth of contraband in traffic stop in Summit County

Utah Highway Patrol seized 356 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $890,000 during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Summit County on Monday morning. Photo Courtesy: Utah DPS

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, April 16, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol seized 356 pounds of drugs with a street value of $890,000 during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Summit County on Monday morning.

At about 7:30 a.m., a trooper stopped a pickup truck on I-80 at milepost 158, just south of Coalville, for making an improper lane change, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.

“After speaking to the driver of the vehicle, the UHP trooper became suspicious of criminal activity,” the news release said. “In his conversation with the driver, the trooper was made aware the pickup truck was a rental from a third party and was traveling with a group of four personally owned cars.”

The trooper on scene deployed his K-9, which gave a positive indication of a drug odor coming from the vehicle. The trooper then conducted a probable cause search, and found 356 pounds of marijuana in the bed of the truck.

State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agents were contacted to conduct the investigation.

According to SBI agents, the marijuana originated from Northern California and was headed to Minnesota. SBI agents estimate each pound of the drug would sell for $2,500 and about $890,000 for all 356 pounds.

The investigation is still active. Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as information is made available.

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