Police say 6 teens were selling Lortab

CEDAR CITY — Cedar City police have arrested six teenage boys for allegedly selling and possessing Lortab.

Three more arrests were expected today in connection with investigators' ongoing investigation into the case, Cedar City police detective Jerry Womack said.

The six boys already arrested attended Cedar High School and ranged in age from 14 to 17 years old, Womack said. They face juvenile charges ranging from class B misdemeanor theft and drug possession to second-degree felony distribution of a controlled substance, Womack said.

School resource officers learned of the illegal drug activity through an anonymous complaint from someone at the school, Womack said.

The students were obtaining the prescription painkiller from a variety of sources, Womack said. A 15-year-old boy allegedly stole the pills from his grandmother, Womack said. Another 15-year-old boy had obtained his own prescription for the pills due to an injury and with the help of a 16-year-old friend was allegedly selling them for 35 cents to $1 each, Womack said.

Despite the arrests, Womack downplayed the boys' activities, saying it wasn't a major drug ring.

"It wasn't like these two guys were the drug kingpins but they were distributing pills to their friends and the kids were all taking them," Womack said. On the street, one Lortab pill can fetch a price ranging from about $5 to $15, Womack said.

But Womack also warned that improper use of Lortab can shut down the respiratory system and even cause death.

"You're playing with fire," Womack said. "Because if you've taken somebody else's prescription and you can't control the amounts, you don't know what the effects are."