California man arrested in Utah had more than 400 lbs. of marijuana, edibles, charges say

ECHO, Summit County — A California man is facing criminal charges following a large drug bust in Utah.

Michael Lee Giles, 56, of Willits, California, was charged Monday in Summit County’s 3rd District Court with marijuana possession of 100 pounds or more, a second-degree felony.

On Dec. 7, the Utah Highway Patrol pulled over a Chevrolet Silverado on I-80 in Summit County for having an expired registration, according to charging documents. A police K-9 was brought to the scene to do an exterior sniff around the vehicle.

“During the subsequent search of the vehicle, troopers found numerous large duffle bags. Inside the bags, the troopers found 390 pounds of marijuana packaged in 333 vacuum-sealed packages,” the charges state. “Troopers also found 55 pounds of marijuana edibles, 3 pounds of marijuana wax, and 447 THC vape cartridges.”

After being taken into custody, Giles allegedly told the troopers, “This is on me,” and asked if his passenger could be released to take his truck.

Lee Scott Kalkofen, 45, was also arrested and booked into the Summit County Jail for investigation of marijuana possession of 100 pounds or more and drug distribution. As of mid-morning Monday, formal charges had not been filed against him.