DDN – An Illinois man who said he was going to visit his family in California was detained in Utah on Friday after police discovered 101 pounds of methamphetamine in his truck.
Nephi police believe the street value of the recovered drugs to be about $919,000.
Carlos Guadalupe Navarro Ornelas, 37, was arrested and charged with possessing a controlled drug with the intent to distribute.
Nephi police said they stopped Navarro’s vehicle on I-15 around 6:30 p.m. due to a missing light on his license plate and “several indicators consistent with drug trafficking activity.”
Navarro told police he flew to California from Chicago on December 23 or 24, but a police booking affidavit stated that the Nephi police officer who detained him “was previously aware the vehicle Carlos was driving had traveled into California on Jan. 2, leaving less than 24 hours later.” The arrest report does not explain how the officer was aware of this.
According to the affidavit, authorities were skeptical of Navarro’s involvement in criminal activity after hearing his claims.
According to the affidavit, a narcotic detection K-9 named Grizz smelled an odor coming from the rear passenger door, which led to the discovery of two large black garbage bags behind the vehicle’s front passenger seat. The bags contained a total of 100 baggies containing methamphetamine weighing more than 101 pounds.
Police claimed it was another contribution to K-9 Grizz’s efforts to assist the Nephi Police Department in seizing more than 250 pounds of narcotics since his acquisition in January 2023.
“This operation is a testament to our unwavering commitment to combating drug trafficking in our communities,” Nephi Police Chief Michael Morgan said in a statement. ”
By focusing on eliminating the criminal networks that manufacture and distribute harmful narcotics, we are taking substantial efforts to ensure our inhabitants’ safety and well-being.
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