Provo couple sentenced for attempt to sell pot

PROVO — A couple charged with attempting to sell nearly 150 pounds of marijuana will go to prison.

Homero Ruiz and Sabina Bustamante-Taffolla pleaded guilty in 4th District Court June 28 and were sentenced Thursday to zero to five years in prison.

They were each sentenced on a third-degree felony charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

The recommendation from Adult Probation and Parole, the agency that screens cases before sentencing, was for 120 days in jail.

However, Judge Gary Stott imposed prison because of the quantity of the illegal drug found in the couple's possession.

The two will be given credit for time served, having been in the Utah County Jail since their arrests in May.

After their prison sentence, they will be handed over to federal authorities, as they are believed to be in the country illegally, prosecutor Chad Grunander said.

A controlled buy on May 1 led West Jordan officers back to where the couple was staying in Lindon.

Officials soon discovered it was home to numerous illegal immigrants.

Officials from the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah began investigating the homeowner, Medarda Doylit Cervantes, 50, and learned she had four homes in Utah County and had been using illegal Social Security cards and names to buy the homes.

The homes are being confiscated as part of a plea, after a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Cervantes on May 16.