More than $300K of heroin, meth found during traffic stop on I-15 in Washington City

ST. GEORGE — A traffic stop on Interstate 15 in Washington City led to the arrest of an Orem man after officers found a large amount of methamphetamine and heroin in a spare tire during a search of the vehicle.

Fifteen bags of suspected methamphetamine placed on top of black towel officers found stuffed in damaged spare tire on northbound Interstate 15 in Washington City, Utah, Aug. 8, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

On Sunday, an officer was stationed at mile marker .5 on Interstate 15 facing northbound traffic shortly after 10 p.m. watching as vehicles entered into Utah from Arizona as part of a drug interdiction program, according to a report filed in support of the arrest.

It was then the officer observed a white Ford Econoline following closely behind a semitractor-trailer. When the officer pulled out into traffic to follow the vehicle, the van quickly changed lanes and then continued crossing back and forth between the lanes for several miles. The officer activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop at mile marker 10 in Washington City.

The officer, who was soon joined by two Washington County Sheriff’s deputies, spoke to the driver who said he didn’t speak English as he handed over his temporary Utah driver’s license and his ID card issued out of Mexico.

The driver was identified as 41-year-old Mauro Flores-Murillo of Orem.

The officer ran a K-9 around the vehicle to conduct an exterior sniff, and when the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics near the rear driver’s side of the van, officers searched the vehicle.

During a search of the area where the spare tire was located, the report says officers noticed the tire was not the correct size for the van, and upon further inspection, they noted it did not appear to have any air in it.

Large back of suspected heroin placed on hub of spare tire that was cut open to allegedly hide narcotics found during stop on northbound Interstate 15 in Washington City, Utah, Aug. 8, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

The tire was lowered out of the van, which is when the officer noticed a large cut on the tire and also a hole that was covered by a black towel. When the towel was removed, officer recovered 15 large plastic bags weighing one pound each that contained a white crystallized substance of suspected methamphetamine. The narcotics were valued at more than $270,000.

The officer also found a large black plastic bag containing 2.5 pounds of suspected heroin valued at more than $73,500.

Police say both substances were field tested and the analysis returned a positive result for narcotics.

Washington County Drug Task Force agents were called in to assist in collecting and securing the evidence. The language barrier prevented officers from interviewing the suspect, so instead Murillo was transported directly to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail on two second-degree felony counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.

Operation Pipeline

Sunday’s arrest is part of Utah’s “Operation Pipeline” program that was launched as a a national highway interdiction program supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the El Paso Intelligence Center, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.

The program originated from several large drug seizures by the Utah Highway Patrol in 1986 – the first of which took place in February when a trooper seized 22 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop – which today would be worth more than $1.5 million. Operation Pipeline was launched later that same year.

What makes Utah attractive to drug traffickers is its location and well-developed transportation infrastructure, making it an important transit area for illegal drugs to be trafficked throughout the United States.

Drug seizures from private vehicles are reported to Operation Pipeline by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies operating nationwide along the highways and interstates most frequently used to transport illegal drugs and drug proceeds. Many of these are the many Interstate, state and U.S. highways that converge at various points to create a path through Idaho, Montana and Wyoming – a route that ultimately connects Canada to Mexico.

From there, UHP became a leader in drug interdiction operations so by 1988 the agency began receiving federal funds garnered from the drug seizures taking place across the state and multiple agencies have since joined in the effort.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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