Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
NEPHI — Troopers arrested a man in Nephi on Wednesday who is accused of illegally possessing over 6 pounds of methamphetamine.
Samuela Kenny Mafileo, 33, was arrested for suspicion of speeding, possession of an illegal substance with intent to distribute, carrying a firearm as a restricted person, and failure to secure a seat belt for a child between the ages of 8 and 16 years old, according to a police booking affidavit.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper said he was contacted by another trooper about a "vehicle of interest traveling northbound on I-15," according to the arrest report, and a black Chrysler minivan traveling north at about 2:11 a.m. on Wednesday. The trooper said his radar showed the vehicle traveling 85 mph in an 80-mph zone.
The trooper said when he approached the vehicle, he asked the man and woman inside about their travels. He said their answers "were not adding up at this point," according to the affidavit.
After a K-9 unit appeared to smell something during an exterior search of the car, the trooper searched the inside of the vehicle and found a "gray backpack in the rear of the vehicle with several large packages of a crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine," the report states.
The trooper then placed the occupants under arrest, the affidavit states, with the woman and a small child placed in one patrol car and Mafileo in another.
"The vehicle was then transported to the Juab County Jail where the search was finished," according to the affidavit. The search turned up a fully loaded Glock 19 9mm firearm and a 31-round magazine, the report states.
A test of the narcotics later turned up positive for 6.4 pounds of methamphetamine, according to the affidavit. Mafileo — who has a criminal history with felony charges for possession of a firearm, according to the report — was booked into the Juab County Jail.
The woman and child were released with the vehicle, the affidavit states.
