Shocking Bust in Nephi

Don’t know where Nephi is or haven’t heard of it? That’s not a surprise, the city has 5,300 residents. In a state with only 243 registered municipalities, Nephi is still smaller than 80 others. The surprise is that 30 people were arrested for drug crimes there, both prescription pills and heroin.

After a year-long investigation, police pounced the last week of May and rounded up all the suspects. The reasons for such a large operation in what amounts to a gasoline and grub stop on I-15 weren’t given, but they aren’t hard to figure out. One is the location South of Provo on I- 15 near where I-70 hits. That’s a nice place to jump on routes North, South and East. Another reason for a major trafficking group is the popularity of pain pills in Utah. That is also linked to the heroin.

What sometimes happens is that people get hooked on prescription pain pills – narcotics that are often seen as less harmful than “illegal” drugs. Once an addiction forms, other narcotics – such as heroin – extend the level of high available. Heroin can also be a cheap replacement for when expensive Oxycontin isn’t available or costs too much.

Prices do matter and addicts are likely to steal to get what they need. In fact, it looks like a string of “smash and grab” thefts from automobiles were part of the investigation and may have pointed police in the right direction. That’s one advantage of being a pit stop off the highway – out of town cars parked at rest stops or gas stations where someone can quickly snatch whatever they can get. How extensive is it? Police say more than 100 smash and grabs were linked to two of the suspects in the case.

Looking at the footage from the arrests what stands out is how young and clean-cut the accused are. That’s a shocker – how much serious drug crime has infected the youth of Utah.