Around 2 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, a Heber police officer noticed a car on U.S. 40 just north of downtown that was weaving out of its lane.
When he stopped the car, the driver had no insurance and said he left his license at home in New Mexico. The officer became suspicious when a database check found no records to indicate the man has a driver’s license in New Mexico or elsewhere.
Court records show a search of the car found user amounts of cocaine and fentanyl. The officer also found a fake U.S. permanent resident card in the driver’s pocket.
Three men were in the car with the driver. They told police they had met the driver while working on a construction site and were along for the ride.
But the officer’s report also said the officer found a copy of a flight itinerary that showed the three men had arrived in the U.S. about a week ago. When pressed, the men told police that after staying at a hotel, they were picked up on the side of a New Mexico road by the driver, who brought them to Utah.
The officer’s report indicates he suspected the passengers were being trafficked to Utah from New Mexico for labor. Heber City Police Sgt. Josh Weishar said the case remains under investigation.
“From here, it goes to major crimes and the district attorney’s office, and together, they’re going to work on it and see what comes from it,” he said.
Weishar said the district attorney’s office will determine whether the man should be charged with human trafficking.
The driver was arrested and charged in 4th District Court with possession of forged writing, possession of controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia, no vehicle insurance, no driver’s license and failure to stay in one lane.
He’s being held without bail in the Wasatch County Jail.
The three passengers were released to acquaintances in Park City.
