ST. GEORGE, Utah, March 15, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George traffic stop sparked by an unilluminated license plate led to an arrest for possession of 176.6 pounds of what is believed to be methamphetamine.
A St. George Police officer, working with employees from Homeland Security Investigations and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, stopped the vehicle, northbound on Interstate 15 near mile marker 9, at 1:20 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest document for Robert William Galicia Hernandez, 27.
“I attempted to ID the driver who at first was argumentative and uncooperative. He eventually provided me with a Mexican ID card out of Siniloa, Mexico,” says Galicia Hernandez’s charging document, filed by the SGPD officer.
“While attempting to identify him, a narcotics detection K-9 was deployed on the vehicle for a free air sniff. The K-9 displayed a positive indication to the odor of illegal narcotics on the vehicle.”
A probable cause search turned up “several large bundles containing a crystal substance, consistent with methamphetamine” in the trunk. “The total weight of all bundles amounted to 176.6 lbs (80.1 kg) of suspected methamphetamine.
“Under Miranda and through the use of a translator, Robert admitted to knowing he was transporting something ‘bad.’ He admitted he didn’t know if it was fentanyl or something else. He also admitted to being paid an undisclosed amount of money to transport the drugs to an unknown location somewhere North.”
Galicia Hernandez was charged booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility for investigation of alleged possession with intent to distribute controlled substance, a second-degree felony.
Photo: Washington County Sheriff
