Two arrested in Orem, alleged to be tied to drug trafficking operation
Aug 20, 2024, 4:52 PM
The Utah County Sheriff's Office seal. (File)
(File)
SALT LAKE CITY — Two Orem residents were arrested and are alleged to be linked to a “major trafficking operation” on Monday.
Justin Wilkinson, 37, and Melinda Bluford were arrested by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office after an investigation conducted by the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force.
According to a booking affidavit, Wilkinson and Bluford were interviewed by detectives on Thursday, and during the interview, the pair admitted to waiting for a package containing seven pounds of methamphetamine and about 1,000 pills of fentanyl.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office also tied the pair to a “large scale” drug trafficking operation with “direct ties to the cartel.” The document did not specify which cartel the pair have been linked to.
Wilkinson also claimed that he would keep the pills and that the meth would be delivered to Salt Lake City. Bluford denied any knowledge of the dealing but admitted to driving Wilkinson to deliver and obtain packages, according to the document.
The document also states that during the interview, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service had selected the package, the sixth or seventh to be delivered to Wilkinson, to be inspected.
After a police K-9 sniffed the package and alerted to narcotics, a search warrant was gathered to open and inspect the package on Monday.
After serving the search warrant, investigators found six pounds of meth and about 1,000 fentanyl pills, according to the affidavit.
Both fentanyl and meth are treated as a Schedule II narcotic, according to the DEA’s abuse or dependency potential scale. Drugs such as heroin, LSD, and peyote are all classified as the most dangerous in Schedule I, whereas drugs such as cough medicine are classified as Schedule V for their lower likelihood of causing dependency or addiction.
Later on, the document states that Wilkinson and Bluford have been investigated previously, but the last investigation involving the pair was halted after “the main suspect was killed.”
Wilkinson and Bluford are currently being held without bail at the Utah County Jail. Both are facing two charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony.
