Man found with 70 pounds of meth in southern Utah tells judge 'I'm not a bad person'

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ST. GEORGE — A man was sentenced last week after pleading guilty to a drug distribution charge after officers found some 70 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in Washington County.

On Nov. 7, 35-year-old Julio Cesar Hernandez-Narvaez, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, facing second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, appeared before District Judge John J. Walton for sentencing.

Narvaez pleaded guilty to the distribution charge during an arraignment hearing held Oct. 3. The remaining charges, including misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia and two traffic infractions, were dismissed in exchange for the guilty plea.

The case was filed following a traffic stop on June 13, shortly before 2 p.m., when a St. George police officer reported seeing a BMW with Minnesota plates following another vehicle too closely. Police soon learned the driver, Narvaez, "did not have a valid driver's license issued to him in any state." The passenger, 23-year-old Jesus Alberto Rufino Palmeno, had a temporary Minnesota identification card, according to charging documents filed at the time.

Read the full article at St. George News.

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