CEDAR CITY — Three people suspected of trafficking methamphetamine and other drugs were arrested Saturday, following two separate stops 20 hours apart on Interstate 15 in Iron County.
The first incident reportedly began around 1:40 a.m., when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper observed a vehicle following a semi tractor-trailer too closely on northbound I-15.
After getting the driver to pull over a few miles north of Cedar City near mile marker 68, the trooper questioned him. He was identified by his Mexico passport as Paul Sarabia-Pena, 28.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of Sarabia-Pena’s arrest, he wasn’t able to show that he had a valid driver’s license. The vehicle was a one-way rental out of Los Angeles that was reportedly scheduled to be taken to Salt Lake City.
“During the course of my traffic stop, I became suspicious of further criminal activity,” the arresting trooper wrote in the affidavit.
After an Iron County Sheriff’s Office deputy and his K-9 partner had been summoned to the scene, the dog positively indicated the odor of drugs coming from inside the vehicle, the trooper added.
A subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle uncovered a large taped box in the trunk containing different packages of narcotics, according to the affidavit. Recovered were approximately 55 pounds of meth, 2 pounds of heroin and 4 pounds of blue fentanyl pills.
Additionally, officers found a small baggie of white powder in the driver’s wallet that tested positive for cocaine, in addition to two THC vape cartridges in the center console.
Sarabia-Pena was booked into Iron County Jail shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of multiple charges, including three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, along with two misdemeanor drug possession charges, driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor, and following too closely, an infraction.
Later that same day, just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, a different Utah Highway Patrol trooper made a similar traffic stop of a northbound vehicle that had also allegedly been following a slower-moving semi too closely.
The trooper then pulled over the driver of the vehicle, a white Jeep Compass with a temporary California license, near mile marker 72.
The two occupants of the Jeep were subsequently identified by their California driver’s licenses as Valerie Rivera, 30, and Ricardo Rivera, 32. The pair identified themselves as sister and brother, according to the affidavits filed in support of their arrests.
The arresting trooper wrote that he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and observed an empty beer can in a garbage sack on the floor.
Troopers then performed a probable cause search of the vehicle.
“During the search, I located a seam that ran across the back of the vehicle,” the arresting trooper wrote in the affidavit.
Once the Jeep’s ski racks had been removed, the investigating officers found a secret compartment that had been welded into the roof.
Inside the hidden compartment, State Bureau of Investigation agents reportedly found three packages of suspected meth weighing approximately 15 pounds, plus two packages containing a total of 4.4 pounds of cocaine.
Both Valerie Rivera, who was driving, and Ricardo Rivera face two counts each of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, in addition to multiple misdemeanor drug charges.
According to the affidavit, Ricardo Rivera is a convicted felon who was released from prison in California eight months ago and is currently on parole.
Both siblings were booked into Iron County Jail early Sunday morning and are being held without bail.
None of the three accused traffickers has yet made an initial court appearance.
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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