Emery County K-9 makes 107-pound meth bust over Easter weekend

EMERY COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — An Emery County Sheriff’s Office K-9 made a major drug bust this Easter weekend, provoking a search on Saturday that yielded 107 pounds of methamphetamine.

“I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend. Dak sure is,” Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington posted

on social media. “Saturday morning Dak warmed up with an Easter egg hunt and then went to work.”

According to the sheriff’s office, while on the job, Dak gave a positive indication of illegal narcotics and a deputy began a vehicle search as a result. That search yielded 107 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 kilos of a “white-colored powder,” according to the sheriff’s office.

While police suspect the powder to be either cocaine or fentanyl, Sheriff Huntington stated that their deputies no longer field test white-colored powder due to the danger of accidental fentanyl exposure.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notes in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment that 31% of all drug-related deaths in the U.S. are now caused by stimulants that speed up the nervous system, primarily meth. More than 17,000 people in the U.S. died from fatal overdoses and poisonings related to stimulants in the first half of 2023, according to preliminary CDC data.

Although overdoses have been more associated with opiates like fentanyl, medical professionals say overdosing on meth is possible if a large amount is ingested. Higher blood pressure and a quickened heart rate can then provoke a heart attack or stroke.

Additionally, hot weather and methamphetamine are a particularly deadly mix, according to the Associated Press. Meth is showing up more often as a factor in the deaths of people who died from heat-related causes in the U.S. Death certificates show about one in five heat-related deaths in recent years involved methamphetamine.

As a stimulant, it increases body temperature, impairs the brain’s ability to regulate body heat and makes it harder for the heart to compensate for extreme heat.