CRIME

Two men suspected of hiding drugs in a gas station toilet before traffic stop

Jul 27, 2024, 3:08 PM

Handcuffs in a jail cell. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)...

FILE - Handcuffs in a jail cell. (Ravell Call, Deseret News)

(Ravell Call, Deseret News)

ST. GEORGE — Two men are accused of hiding drugs in a gas station toilet and trying to flee from police Wednesday night.

According to the police affidavit, a Washington City police officer noticed a red passenger vehicle with a California license plate nearly crash into another car on 1000 E. St. George Blvd.

The officer reported that the red car was at a yellow turn light, “quickly” made the turn, and almost hit another vehicle, which had to stop in the middle of the intersection to avoid a crash.

According to the affidavit, the officer saw the red car pulling into Ernie’s Too gas station with the driver, Adrian Vazquez-Cardenas, 29, from Northlake, Illinois, and a passenger, Juan Aguayo-Alvarez, 25, from Fresno, California, exit the car and enter the gas station.

When the two men exited the gas station, the officer approached them and informed them about the traffic violation they had witnessed. The officer reported that Vazquez-Cardenas acknowledged he made the violation and was given a citation.

During the encounter, the affidavit stated both men made “several inconsistencies in (their) travel plans.” The officer asked if they could search the men’s car, which they consented to. The officer reported finding nothing illegal in the car and let the two men go.

According to the affidavit, Ernie’s Too employee contacted the police “a few moments later,” saying they found a “large metal water bottle in the back water tank of a toilet. The employee stated they believed the water bottle to contain a large amount of narcotics and believed it was related to the traffic stop.”

The affidavit stated that the Washington City police officer returned to the gas station and retrieved the water bottle from a St. George police officer. The officer reported that a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy located the red car and Vazquez-Cardenas and Aguayo-Alvarez at 800 E. St. George Blvd.

While en route to the deputy, the deputy was in “a physical fight” with Vazquez-Cardenas after the deputy attempted to take both men into custody, the affidavit stated. The officer reported that the deputy was able to arrest Vazquez-Cardenas, but Aguayo-Alvarez fled in the red car.

According to the affidavit, the officer found the red car on Interstate 15 and initiated a traffic stop with their emergency lights. Aguayo-Alvarez pulled over, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

Both men were taken to the Homeland Security Office, where they were read their Miranda rights and interviewed by police. During this time, the water bottle was found with “over one pound” of cocaine, the affidavit stated.

According to the affidavit, Vazquez-Cardenas admitted to police he tried to hide the drugs inside the bathroom toilet. Both men told police they bought the cocaine from California with the intent to resale it in Chicago.

Aguayo-Alvarez and Vazquez-Cardenas were booked into the Washington County Jail on felony charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and failing to stop at the command of police, according to the affidavit. Vazquez-Cardenas was also booked for interfering with a police officer, a class B misdemeanor.

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Two men suspected of hiding drugs in a gas station toilet before traffic stop