California man booked into Utah jail after the discovery of $5M-$7.5M worth of drugs in his car

CASTLE DALE, Utah (KSL.com) — A California man faces a potential charge of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it after the discovery of some 260 pounds of the drug in his car after he was stopped for allegedly speeding in Emery County.

The drugs found in the auto have an estimated street value of $5 million to $7.5 million, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case.

Steven Brian Esquivias, 26, was pulled over along I-70 on Sunday after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper clocked him going 101 mph in an 80 mph zone. He was driving a rental vehicle but didn’t have the renter’s contract for the car, saying a friend had rented the auto for him, raising the suspicions of the trooper. Esquivias appeared “as if he was going to hyperventilate” after which the trooper asked if he could search the car, getting permission.

“The search revealed four large totes full of a white crystal substance, later measured at 260 pounds of methamphetamine,” reads the affidavit. Esquivias was booked into the Emery County jail on suspicion of possession of meth with the intent to deliver and speeding. He has not yet been charged in district court, but a judge on Monday ordered that he be held without bail.

The affidavit says he’s from California but didn’t list a hometown.