15 pounds of meth seized by Utah Highway Patrol
Oct 18, 2023, 10:15 PM | Updated: Oct 19, 2023, 12:37 pm
Two are dead and one is in critical condition following a crash on US 40. (Utah Highway Patrol)
(Utah Highway Patrol)
SALT LAKE CITY — Two men from Southern California were charged on Wednesday for allegedly possessing meth with the intent to distribute in Utah.
On Oct. 7, 73-year-old Oscar Soto-Covarrubias Sr. and 26-year-old Oscar Soto Jr., both from California, were stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men were initially stopped for an expired registration. During the stop, a drug detection K9 alerted officers it detected the presence of narcotics in the car.
When agents searched the vehicle, they found a backpack containing 15 pounds of meth.
Further investigation led law enforcement to identify Soto-Covarrubias and Soto as narcotics suppliers. They are based in California and Mexico, but send meth supply to Utah-based meth redistributors.
According to the release, both men’s indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19 in downtown Salt Lake City.
This was a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Unified Police Department Metro Gang Unit. The Utah Highway Patrol assisted.
