Cedar City Police K9 Helps Bust Oregon Man with $350K in Drugs

A Cedar City Police K9 is getting some well-needed praise after helping bust an Oregon man traveling with $350K worth of drugs Tuesday night.

According to a post on the Cedar City Police Department Facebook page, Corporal Kirk Lovell and K-9 Max assisted the Utah Highway Patrol who had stopped a 2019 Ford MustangGT, with California plates, for following too closely at on Interstate 15 in Iron County.

The trooper indicated the driver, Nathan Walker, of Portland, Ore., gave "concerning" answers for his travel plans and the car had been rented through a third party.

The trooper called Cedar City police and asked for assistance with a drug-sniffing K9. The dog detected a possibility there were drugs in the car.

During a search, the trooper found about five pounds of cocaine and one pound of raw MDMA (Ecstasy) in a suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle.

Walker was arrested and booked into the Iron County Jail on two second-degree felony counts of distribution of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts of possession of dangerous drugs.

K9 Max is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, who completed his training in June of 2018, and immediately began working with his handler. This is his first large drug find.

"The hard work and dedication demonstrated by Corporal Lovell and K-9 Max helped to remove these dangerous drugs from the streets," said Cedar City Police Department.

The estimated cost of the drugs was valued at more than $350K.

Story provided by our News Partners at ABC 4 News.