- Utah Highway Patrol made two significant drug busts in Summit County.
- Troopers reported finding 66 pounds of meth and cocaine in a Honda Accord.
- A minivan allegedly contained 100 pounds of marijuana and THC products.
ECHO, Summit County — Utah Highway Patrol troopers had an eventful night, making two large drug busts in the same Summit County area about 2 1/2 hours apart.
About 11:50 p.m. Sunday, a Honda Accord was pulled over on I-80 near Echo Reservoir for having an illegal window tint. The trooper reported detecting the odor of marijuana while talking to the driver and told him he would be searching his vehicle.
"During a search of the vehicle, the marijuana container was located along with a THC vape pen inside the vehicle. In the trunk of the vehicle, I observed a large speaker box, but the speaker wires were not connected," the arresting trooper wrote in a booking affidavit. "The box screws were taken out and inside the speaker box, approximately 66 pounds of a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine were located. Also in the box, 2 pounds of a white powdery substance that tested for cocaine were located."
Moises Valdez was arrested for investigation of two counts of drug possession with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, marijuana possession and a window tint violation.
About 2 1/2 hours after that stop, at about 2:40 a.m. Monday, a minivan was pulled over in the same area by a different trooper for failing to dim its high beams for oncoming traffic.
As the trooper approached the vehicle, he noticed "several large blankets covering an area extending from the rear cargo compartment up to the front seats concealing what appeared to be a large object," a police booking affidavit states.
The trooper reported smelling the odor of marijuana coming from the rental vehicle. During a subsequent search, "we located approximately 100 pounds of raw marijuana, several thousand THC vape cartridges, numerous THC edibles, and multiple containers of THC wax," the affidavit alleges.
A gun was also recovered. Kristopher Jon Mathiowetz, 47, was arrested for investigation of possession of 100 pounds or more of marijuana, being a restricted person in possession of a gun because of the drugs, and a headlight violation.
