CEDAR CITY — An Arizona man arrested following a traffic stop in Iron County was traveling with 580 THC vape cartridges in his vehicle, police said.
According to court documents, the incident began at approximately 3:30 a.m. on June 13, when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper observed a vehicle that appeared to be speeding as it headed northbound on Interstate 15.
“Using my forward-facing radar, I was able to confirm that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 86 mph in a posted 80 mph zone,” the trooper wrote in a probable cause statement filed in support of the driver’s arrest.
The trooper also reported seeing the driver make an improper lane change and noticed that one of the vehicle’s brake lights was not functioning.
The trooper then activated his emergency lights, after which the driver reportedly exited I-15 at Exit 51 (Hamilton Fort) and drove a short distance to Old Highway 91 before coming to a stop.
Upon speaking with the driver, the trooper reportedly became suspicious of criminal activity and called in another trooper and his K-9 partner to respond. According to the affidavit, the K-9 officer performed a free air sniff of the vehicle and indicated to the odor of narcotics.
“We searched the vehicle and found 580 THC cartridges in the boxes it the back,” the trooper wrote, adding, “During the search, the driver was standing next to a dumpster. We heard him drop something it the dumpster. When I climbed in the dumpster, I located a vial of cocaine. I tested the substance in the vial and it was positive for cocaine.”
Jomar Alexander Moreno, 33, was subsequently taken into custody and booked into Iron County Jail. He was later released that same afternoon after paying $1,250 cash bail and promising to appear in court at 9 a.m. on July 1 before 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell.
Moreno is facing multiple charges, including one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony in this case due to prior drug distribution convictions.
He also faces misdemeanor counts related to possession of drugs and paraphernalia, along with obstruction of justice. In addition, he faces three traffic violations classified as infractions.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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