Meth bust follows high-speed chase through Iron County construction zone

A haul of 40 pounds of methamphetamine, roughly 181,000 one-tenth-gram doses, came out of a chase that turned a marked Interstate 15 work zone into a danger point for construction crews and passing drivers. Court papers say the load was found after a black Range Rover sped south through Iron County, nearly struck construction vehicles, and ended in a foot pursuit.

Daniel Flores, 26, of California, was arrested May 27 and booked into the Iron County Jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, and aggravated assault. The charging documents also say Flores was driving on a suspended California license.

According to the affidavit, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper first saw a white Mercedes traveling about 86 mph in a marked 70 mph construction zone near mile marker 51 around 11 p.m. Wednesday. A black Range Rover following behind then suddenly accelerated, weaved through traffic, struck a construction sign, re-entered the freeway and kept going southbound at more than 100 mph through the work zone, where several workers were actively on site.

The driver eventually stopped near the construction zone, ran across the freeway, and was later found hiding in a culvert on the southbound side of I-15. A police K-9 alerted on the vehicle, prompting a search warrant that uncovered 40 one-pound bags of methamphetamine inside a sealed brown box in the cargo area. The route and the amount suggest Iron County was being used as a trafficking corridor on Interstate 15, while the chase itself put road crews and motorists at immediate risk.