Children allegedly cover for drug run

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Three men and a woman allegedly caught with 9 pounds of cocaine during a Utah traffic stop admitted using three children as cover for a drug run, police said.

The adults, all residents of Warren, Ohio, were arrested Tuesday, interrupting a trip back from California, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. They face charges including cocaine possession and child abuse.

The group was in an SUV pulled over on northbound Interstate 15 in Iron County in the southwestern part of the state by a sheriff's deputy, police said. Deputy Wade Lee said he noticed the vehicle crossing lane lines and then smelled marijuana when he talked to the driver.

The driver consented to a search, and Lee said found 9 pounds of cocaine hidden in the center console, a loaded handgun and a small amount of marijuana, police said.

Deputy Aaron Pallesen said that when the four were questioned they admitted they had brought the children along as cover.

"When you've got that many people in the car, they think officers are less likely to search because of the luggage," he said.

The woman and the driver claimed to be the parents of a 2-year-old boy. Two girls, 11 and 13, were not related to any of the four, although investigators said one of the men might be their mother's boyfriend.