Two men were arrested last week on suspicion of drug- and weapons-related charges, after police allegedly found methamphetamine, loaded firearms and a suspected ledger of drug-related transactions inside their speeding vehicle.
Luis Heras-Molina and Mexican national Jesus Alfredo Bojorquez Garcia were taken into custody in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 24, after a Moab City Police officer initiated a traffic stop on a black BMW that was allegedly traveling 58 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone on U.S. Highway 191.
As the officer approached the vehicle, he saw the driver’s-side door open and watched as Heras-Molina discarded items from the BMW. The 23-year-old driver appeared to be nervous as the officer made contact with him, and grew distracted when the officer asked him for his driver’s license.
Heras-Molina reportedly told the officer that he and the 31-year-old Bojorquez Garcia were traveling from Phoenix to Denver; the passenger quickly interjected that they were going to a Rockies game with some friends, according to the officer’s report on the incident. From that point onward, Heras-Molina would look to Bojorquez Garcia and speak with him in Spanish before he answered further questions, so the officer asked a translator from the Utah Highway Patrol to respond to the scene.
Heras-Molina subsequently told the officer that he did not know where they were heading to in Denver, and — when asked — he denied that there were any drugs, illegal items or weapons inside the vehicle. However, the officer reported that Heras-Molina hesitated before he responded to a question about weapons.
At that time, the officer asked for Heras-Molina’s consent to search the vehicle; after the driver looked again at Bojorquez Garcia, he reportedly told the officer that a firearm was located under one of the car’s seats. A second firearm was allegedly found between the passenger’s seat and the vehicle’s center console.
According to the officer’s report, a Glock 9mm that was found under a car seat contained 15 rounds of ammunition — including one round in the chamber — while 14 rounds were loaded into a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber that had been within the passenger’s reach.
As their search of the vehicle continued, police allegedly found a large white garbage bag that contained several vacuum-sealed bags with various amounts of a crystal-like substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine. Altogether, the bags contained 0.8 ounces of meth, the officer reported.
Both men denied that they knew the drug was in the vehicle, and they told police that it did not belong to them. However, police ultimately arrested them and transported them to the Grand County Jail on suspicion of two second-degree felony weapons offenses and second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, among other charges.
After the vehicle was transported to a secure location where police could perform an in-depth search, authorities allegedly found three cell phones and a notebook that appeared to contain a ledger of transactions.
Under the law, both suspects are presumed to be innocent unless or until a court formally convicts them of any charges.
Police seize loaded weapons, meth from vehicle
