By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A July traffic stop that uncovered about a kilogram of fentanyl led to sharply different sentences this month: consecutive prison terms for the passenger and probation for the driver.
Jose Mario Yepiz Gonzalez, 36, pleaded guilty to attempted fentanyl trafficking and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, both second degree felonies.
On Sept. 9, Fifth District Court Judge Ryan E. Christiansen sentenced him to one to 15 years in prison on each count. The sentences will run consecutively, meaning one after the other.
Desiree Ann Roy, 40, who was driving, pleaded guilty to two Class A misdemeanor drug possession counts and a Class B misdemeanor charge of driving with a measurable controlled substance.
On Sept. 16, Judge Meb Anderson placed her on 18 months of probation. He ordered her to serve 60 days in jail and credited her with 60 days already served. Additional jail sentences on the three counts were suspended.
According to the affidavits for arrest, a trooper stopped the rental Jeep near mile marker 88 on July 17 after observing it drift within its lane and follow a semitruck too closely. The trooper reported seeing a glass pipe in the center console as Roy searched for the rental agreement.
Gonzalez told the trooper the pipes were his. When he stepped out of the Jeep, the trooper noticed a bulge in his waistband and found approximately a kilogram of white powder that investigators later identified as fentanyl.
The trooper also reported finding approximately an ounce of methamphetamine in Roy’s purse. Roy told investigators she knew the purpose of the trip was to take the fentanyl to Salt Lake City to sell.
As conditions of her probation, Roy must sign up with an approved private probation provider and obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation. The court ordered her to pay $659 in fines.