Some of the THC vaping cartridges taken from a bust in Iron County. Credit: Utah Highway Patrol
WASATCH FRONT – Law enforcement have been seizing a staggering number illegal THC vape cartridges all over the state. Utah Highway Patrol has taken nearly 40 thousand since the beginning of this year.
Just two day ago, a UHP trooper pulled over a Chevrolet SUV for following another car too closely on I-15 in Iron County. Inside that car, investigators spotted over 2,000 THC cartridges as well as Oxycodone and three glass jars that reportedly held a “green leafy substance.
In mid-September, a West Jordan man was arrested after police found 116 illegal cartridges in his home. West Jordan Police Sergeant JC Holt says officers watched Keagan Joseph Bojorquez-Dazley and reportedly saw him dealing drugs to cars outside his home.
“That led to several vehicles stopped, where they were able to recover drugs. They wrote a search warrant for his home and were able to go in and gather a large quantity of marijuana, as well as THC cartridges,” Holt says.
Bojorquez-Dazley also allegedly had $10,000 when he was arrested. Holt says, “He also had some mushrooms and a little bit of LSD, as well.”
The West Jordan Police Department got a lot of pushback from people last year after a similar large bust. People say police were taking medicinal marijuana from patients who need it. However, Holt says illegal cartridges are in no way medicinal.
“When you see somebody vaping THC, they’re getting a much higher dose than they would have gotten if they smoke marijuana traditionally,” he says.
The Deseret News reports that the number of cartridges seized in the first quarter was relatively low, with only 3,411 being taken. However, in the second quarter, that number skyrocketed to 23,845.