Seeking help from the Sevier County sheriff's office in getting a vehicle started, apparently as a ploy to throw law enforcement officers off the track, didn't work for two California men.
Deputies confiscated 16 kilos of cocaine, with a street value estimated at $5 million, from the vehicle. They arrested Eduardo Fragoso, 25, and Juan Hurtado Meza, 32, no addresses listed, in Elsinore, Sevier County.The two were arraigned in 10th Circuit Court and were being held in the Sevier County Jail Wednesday in lieu of $150,000 bail each. They are charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Capt. Bud Larsen said the men called the sheriff's office to report car trouble. When a deputy arrived to lend assistance, he noticed fresh paint over screws in a door and became suspicious.
Larsen said the deputy received permission to search the vehicle and found the cocaine hidden in the door.
The Chevrolet convertible in which the men were riding was also loaded with flowers, which they said they were transporting to Denver, another apparent ploy to reduce the chances of being searched, officers said.