Charges were filed Monday against four individuals stemming from three separate traffic stops along I-80 that uncovered large amounts of marijuana.
In the first bust, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a Colorado Enterprise rental car near 2000 West on I-80 for speeding on Sept. 27, according to charges filed Monday in 3rd. District Court. The trooper noticed halogen lights in the back seat. A search of the car yielded 30 marijuana plants and five pounds of marijuana. The driver told the trooper he paid $15,000 for the plants and planned to grow marijuana to sell for medicinal purposes.
On Oct. 13, a UHP trooper stopped a U-Haul van for speeding on I-80, charges state. The trooper smelled marijuana, and a search turned up two bongs, five glass pipes, several machines used for harvesting and processing marijuana and 1.2 pounds of marijuana.
The next day, another UHP trooper stopped a vehicle at 600 West on I-80 for following too close, charges state. The driver and passenger gave conflicting stories about their journey, and a K-9 sniffed out 8.4 pounds of marijuana.
— Jens Dana