California Resident Arrested in Utah After Drugs Over $7 Million Value Seized from his Car

Emery, Utah: Authorities in Emery County found 260 pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle of a man they arrested for alleged speeding. The man faces possible charges of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

The probable cause document states that the narcotics discovered in the vehicle are worth between $5 million and $7.5 million on the street.

On Sunday, a trooper from the Utah Highway Patrol pulled over 26-year-old Steven Brian Esquivias for driving at 101 miles per hour in an 80-mph zone when he was traveling on Interstate 70. The fact that he claimed a buddy had hired the automobile for him while he was driving without the rental contract piqued the trooper’s curiosity.

After Esquivias gave the impression of being about to hyperventilate, the trooper requested and received permission to search the vehicle.

“The search revealed four large totes full of a white crystal substance, later measured at 260 pounds of methamphetamine,” continues the affidavit. Police in Emery County arrested Esquivias on charges of speeding and possession with the intent to supply methamphetamine. The district court has not yet filed charges against him, but on Monday, the judge ordered his detention without bail.

“He is from California,” the affidavit reads, yet nowhere is his hometown mentioned.