$5M worth of meth, fentanyl seized after Iron Co. deputies check on stopped car

Megan Brugger
·2 min read
6

CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC4) — Iron County deputies found approximately $5 million worth of fentanyl and meth after checking on a man who was stopped at a traffic light.

Julio Partida-Pantoja, 50, of California, was arrested on two counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, driving under the influence, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, open container/drinking alcohol in a vehicle, and interfering with an officer, the Iron County Sheriff’s Office said.

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Just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, an Iron County deputy was at an intersection near 1400 W 200 N and waiting to turn left with a white Cadillac stopped across from him, the affidavit states. The deputy said their light turned green, but that the Cadillac did not move — sitting through an entire light cycle.

The deputy reportedly turned around and pulled behind the vehicle. Without lights or sirens, the deputy said he walked up to the Cadillac and knocked on the tinted window. The driver, identified as Partida-Pantoja, had “bloodshot watery eyes, poor dexterity, and slurred speech,” the affidavit states.

When asked if he had anything to drink, Partida-Pantoja allegedly admitted to recently consuming alcohol. Deputies said Partida-Pantoja consented to a test, but had to use the door of the car to crawl out, stumbling and swaying.

“Partida-Pantoja had to hold the grill of my truck to keep from [falling] over,” the deputy said in the affidavit.

Partida-Pantoja was advised he was going to be placed under arrest and a car inventory was conducted. While the car was being searched, deputies reportedly found “substantial” amounts of meth and fentanyl, worth approximately $5 million.

Deputies said the meth weighed about 122.5 pounds and the fentanyl weighed about 50.67 pounds.

Partida-Pantoja was transported to the Iron County Correctional Facility.

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