5 are arrested in pair of Orem drug busts

OREM — Three men and two juveniles were arrested on drug charges in a pair of unrelated incidents Thursday night.

Four arrests resulted from a major undercover operation, while the fifth came when cocaine was found on a 17-year-old car passenger during a routine traffic stop.

Lt. Mike Forshee of Utah County Major Crimes Task Force said officers and Immigration Customs Enforcement agents acted on a tip, which led them to downtown Orem late Thursday night.

There, officers observed what Forshee said appeared to be a drug transaction.

When they pulled over the vehicle in question, officers found approximately 31 grams of what appeared to be cocaine, which has an estimated street value of approximately $2,500, and a small amount of what was suspected to be methamphetamine.

"It's about an ounce of cocaine," Forshee said. "That equates to 20 to 60 individual sales, depending on how they package it. When you put it in terms that 20 to 60 people were going to buy out of this ounce, it's a substantial amount."

Officers also found two weapons — a 9 mm pistol and a .380 automatic — and a counterfeit $20 bill.

Forshee said the weapons seizure was a major cause for concern.

"We're seeing more and more weapons in these cases," he said. "It's a concern for the safety of officers and for the general public as well."

Jacobo Burgos-Valenzuela, 21, of Orem; Juan Pablo Godinez-Martha, 23, of Provo; and Saul Andres Zapata-Canales, 18, of Orem were arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail.

Burgos-Valenzuela is being held on $10,000 bail for investigation into charges of distribution of cocaine and possession of a weapon by a restricted person.

Godinez-Martha is being held on $7,500 bail for investigation into charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of counterfeit money.

Zapata-Canales is being held on $5,000 bail for investigation into a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

The fourth person arrested, a 16-year-old minor, is being investigated on possession of methamphetamine and possession of a weapon by a juvenile.

The legal status of all four males is still being investigated, Forshee said. An immigration hold has been placed on them while ICE determines whether they are legal residents of the United States.

Forshee said the men were also being investigated for possibly brandishing and firing their weapons in Orem earlier Thursday.

The fifth arrest came after a routine traffic stop in an unrelated incident. Officers arrested the driver on charges of driving with an expired license, then arrested his passenger, a 17-year-old juvenile, when a search revealed that he had what appeared to be cocaine.

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