Police seize 90 pounds of marijuana in Emery County traffic stop

EMERY COUNTY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Officers seized a large amount of marijuana and cash during a traffic stop in Emery County on Friday, according to Helper Police.

On Sept. 13, officers with Helper Police, Wellington Police, and the Emery County Sheriff’s Office were assisting Utah Highway Patrol with a checkpoint on SR-6 at mile marker 266 in Emery County.

During the checkpoint, an officer approached a vehicle with two individuals inside, identified as Taylor Tarazon, 40, of Texas, and Annette Bonner, of Texas. The officer told them that there was an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and that officers were going to conduct a search.

Tarazon and Bonner “adamantly stated” that the officer was not allowed to search the vehicle, according to a probable cause statement. Police conducted a search and found a trash bag full of marijuana in the back seat.

Due to the amount that was found, police placed Tarazon and Bonner into custody and had the vehicle towed for a more thorough search. Upon searching further, police found “$10,000 cash, 84 pounds of a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, 2.5 pounds of green bricks suspected to be Hash, several smaller bags of a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, empty vacuum seal bags, a vacuum seal machine, and a red grinder with a green residue suspected to be marijuana in it.”

There was reportedly a total of 84 vacuum sealed bags, each containing about one pound of marijuana.

Both Tarazon and Bonner were booked into Emery County Jail on charges of money laundering (second-degree felony), distribution of a controlled substance (third-degree felony), possession of marijuana (class B misdemeanor), and possession of drug paraphernalia (class B misdemeanor).

Neither Tarazon nor Bonner have criminal histories, according to the affidavit.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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