Traffic stop leads to arrest of man in possession of methamphetamine, police say
Apr 18, 2024, 8:51 PM | Updated: 8:56 pm
The large quantity of methamphetamine, cash, a gun, and two knives found on the suspect. (The Salt Lake City Police Department)
(The Salt Lake City Police Department)
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was arrested for drug charges on Wednesday was also arrested on similar charges in February, according to court documents.
According to the police affidavit, Juan Pedro Rocha, 55, was pulled over by a Salt Lake City police officer for having an expired temporary registration tag while driving.
During the traffic stop, the officer asked Rocha for his driver’s license or proof of insurance. According to the affidavit, Rocha said he did not have either document on him and told the officer that the car belonged to a friend.
According to the affidavit, the officer checked Rocha’s information and discovered he was driving on a denied driver’s license. The officer decided to impound the car and began to take inventory of it.
During the inventory check, the officer reported finding “a black zip case on the front passenger seat that contained an unloaded handgun,” a loaded magazine, “multiple syringes,” and “a small Ziplock bag of blue pills” that were later identified as Fentanyl.
According to the affidavit, the SLCPD officer stopped his inventory check and placed Rocha in handcuffs for being a restricted person in control of a firearm.
The officer resumed his search and found another black zip case in the front passenger seat with Methamphetamine in crystal and powder form.
“During inventory of the vehicle, the following were located: 26 fentanyl pills, 130.1 grams of powdered meth, 234.6 grams of solid meth rocks, 3.9 grams of marijuana, seven syringes, one marijuana pipe, a 9mm Springfield XDMhandgun, a loaded magazine with eight bullets, $104.00 in cash, and two knives,” the affidavit stated.
Officers with our Liberty Patrol Division Homeless Resource Center (HRC) squad safely arrested a 55-year-old man and seized a large quantity of methamphetamine, cash, a gun, and two knives.
Details: https://t.co/46HiMtruBh#SLC #SLCPD #SaltLakeCity pic.twitter.com/c16PhJlwYe
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) April 18, 2024
The officer reported the pipe smelled like marijuana and found the marijuana on Rocha’s person. The officer stated that 12 additional Fentanyl pills were also found in Rocha’s pockets.
According to the affidavit, Rocha told the officer that he took six Fentanyl pills per day.
Rocha was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on:
- two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute,
- two counts of possession of a controlled substance,
- one count of being a restricted person by firearm,
- one count of possession of a controlled substance/marijuana,
- one count of possession of drug paraphernalia,
- one count of driving on a denied license,
- and one count of expired registration.
Court documents show that Rocha was arrested similarly on April 15.
According to the April police affidavit, Rocha was driving a white Jeep Cherokee and failed to stop at a marked stop line and instead stopped in the middle of the crosswalk.
A SLCPD officer pulled Rocha over and reported finding two to three ounces of Methamphetamine, a pound of marijuana, over 50 Fentanyl pills, and a small amount of Crack Cocaine, according to the affidavit.
Rocha was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail for charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
