UHP nets 356 pounds of marijuana worth approximately $890,000 during traffic stop

April 16, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE – Over 300 pounds of marijuana were seized by the Utah Highway Patrol during a traffic stop Monday morning.

Around 7:30 a.m. a UHP trooper on Interstate 80 stopped a pickup truck at milepost 158 for an improper lane change, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.

“After speaking to the driver of the vehicle, the UHP trooper became suspicious of criminal activity,” the news release states. “In his conversation with the driver the trooper was made aware the pickup truck was a rental from a third party and was traveling with a group of four personally owned cars.”

A UHP K-9 was brought in and tracked the possible odor of drugs to the truck, which resulted in the trooper conducting a probable cause search of the vehicle.

What the trooper found was 356 pounds of marijuana in the bed of the truck.

Agents of the State Bureau of Investigation were brought in to conduct an investigation. It was determined the marijuana originated in northern California and had been Minnesota-bound.

The agents estimated the marijuana would sell for $2,500 per pound, for an estimated total of $890,000.

According to Fox 13 News, the driver of the truck, a man identified as 26-year-old Joseph Vasigo, was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler