This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 10:02 AM- A flat tire led to discovery of hundreds of pounds of marijuana and the arrests of three suspects near Cedar City.
Motorists on Interstate 15 reported a sport utility vehicle was towing a pop-up camper with a flat tire about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, just before sparks from the camper started a grass fire near the roadway.
Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Jeff Nigbur said an off-duty Iron County sheriff's deputy stopped the driver and waited until troopers arrived to question the man.
"A lot of red flags came up in that conversation, so they asked the driver for consent to search (the camper)," Nigbur said.
A police dog found 782 pounds of marijuana, worth $1.6 million, Nigbur said.
The driver, 47, told investigators he picked up the marijuana in Las Vegas and helped troopers set up an ambush for his suppliers.
He called them to ask for help with car trouble on the road; three hours later, a 26-year-old man and 42-year-old woman arrived and were arrested. All three were booked into the Iron County jail on suspicion of possessing and intending to deliver marijuana.
Troopers did not know where the three suspects live; the driver said he was traveling from California to Nebraska.