Man arrested for ‘large amounts of’ illegal drugs, knives, gun in Salt Lake City

Megan Brugger
·2 min read
2

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A man was arrested in Salt Lake City after police found him with large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana, as well as cash, knives, and a gun.

Juan Rocha, 55, was arrested Wednesday evening on two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of being a restricted person by firearm, one count of possession of a controlled substance/marijuana, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of driving on a denied license, and one count of expired registration, the Salt Lake City Police Department said.

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The investigation started just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, when the SLCPD’s Liberty Patrol Division Homeless Resource Center squad stopped a car for an expired temporary registration near 1300 South and 300 West.

Officers spoke with the driver, identified as Rocha, and found him to be driving on a denied license.

Officers impounded the car, and said that during an inventory, they found a handgun, 26 fentanyl pills, 130 grams of powdered methamphetamine, 235 grams (or half a pound) of solid methamphetamine, four grams of marijuana, two knives, drug paraphernalia, and $104 in cash.

  • A photo of seized illegal drugs, cash and drug paraphernalia from a traffic stop at 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department
    A photo of seized illegal drugs, cash and drug paraphernalia from a traffic stop at 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department
  • A photo of seized illegal drugs from a traffic stop on 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department
    A photo of seized illegal drugs from a traffic stop on 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department
  • A photo of methamphetamine seized during a traffic stop at 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department
    A photo of methamphetamine seized during a traffic stop at 1300 South 300 West. Courtesy Salt Lake City Police Department

Chief Mike Brown said this drug seizure was “substantial,” and potentially prevented hundreds, if not thousands, of individual doses of methamphetamine from reaching Salt Lake City’s streets.

“The success of this traffic stop, investigation, and seizure of drugs, along with the recovery of a gun and knives, will significantly contribute to the overall safety of our community,” he said.

Rocha was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.

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