2 suspected drug dealers arrested in Cedar City raid; dozens of guns, $8K in cash also seized

Written by Jeff Richards
January 22, 2024
Illegal drugs, cash, firearms and ammunition are prepared to be entered into evidence custody after being seized in a raid by Iron/Beaver/Garfield Narcotics Task Force, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Two suspected drug dealers were arrested in Cedar City Friday night after agents with the Iron/Garfield/Beaver Narcotics Task Force served a search warrant on their residence.

A variety of firearms were seized in a raid by Iron/Beaver/Garfield Narcotics Task Force, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

In addition to cocaine and various other drugs, a total of 45 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized during the raid, along with approximately $8,000 in cash.

Brent Arthur Taylor, 48, and Connie Lorraine Holm, 52, were subsequently booked into Iron County Jail, where they are being held without bail as of Monday. Each faces multiple felony counts related to drug possession and illegal possession of dangerous weapons.

According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrests, Taylor operated what drug task force agents would consider a “one-stop shop.”

“This means drug users could come to his residence and buy several different types of drugs at one place,” the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit. “In my training and experience the amount of drugs, money, selling equipment (scales, baggies, dishes and filters) and firearms is evidence that Brent is a very large drug dealer.”

Cedar City News spoke to two undercover task force agents in a conference room at Iron County Sheriff’s Office on Monday as they were in the process of cataloging the guns and other items of evidence and placing them into custody. Also present were Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow and Cedar City public information officer Gabrielle Costello.

The task force agents said they had been working the case for approximately the past four months. After sufficient information had been gathered, they obtained a search warrant. The task force agents, assisted by Cedar City Police officers, served the warrant Friday evening at a residence near 1000 West and 400 North in Cedar City.

Illegal drugs, cash, firearms and ammunition are prepared to be entered into evidence custody after being seized in a raid by Iron/Beaver/Garfield Narcotics Task Force, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

“The male suspect came out right away,” one of the task force members stated. “The female suspect was hiding in the back bedroom and refused to come out for about 8-10 minutes. That’s when SWAT was called, and then a K-9 was called.” However, the second suspect, identified as Holm, reportedly ended up giving up before either the Iron County Metro SWAT team or an Iron County Sheriff’s K-9 arrived. The K-9 was used to confirm that nobody else was hiding inside.

According to Holm’s probable cause statement, she faces a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice, as two gallon-size baggies with cocaine residue were “found in the sink and flushed before officers were able to get inside the residence.”

The affidavit states that a significant amount of cocaine — “way more than personal use” — was found throughout the residence. Additionally, the agents reportedly also found distributable quantities of methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, other hallucinogenic drugs and steroids.

Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow stands near a table containing a variety of firearms that were seized in a raid by Iron/Beaver/Garfield Narcotics Task Force, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The seized firearms, which included various types of rifles and pistols, were enough to completely fill a large table in the conference room at the sheriff’s office

The weapons included three fully automatic machine guns, one of which was a “ghost” gun without a serial number.

The significant bust is just one of several cases that have kept the Iron/Garfield/Beaver Narcotics Task Force busy lately. Task force commander Zac Adams commended the participating agencies and their officers for their teamwork and collaboration.

“We have jurisdiction in all three counties and in all the cities,” Adams said. “We do work well with each agency and obviously reach out to them if we’re going to be in their area, just so they know.

“But for the most part, we just go wherever. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Wayne County to serve a search warrant. We contacted Wayne County (deputies), and they helped us on a case over there, too. So we’re just bouncing all over the place.”

Anyone with tips about suspected illegal drug transactions and related activities is asked to contact the Iron County Sheriff’s Office at 435-867-7550. Tips may be submitted anonymously.

“One of our search warrants we just recently were able to obtain a few months ago was off just a simple tip,” Adams noted. 

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement officers and court documents 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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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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