Charges: Ogden man used Snapchat to sell gun to teen, sell THC cartridges

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OGDEN — An Ogden man has been charged with selling guns and THC vape cartridges on social media.

The sales were discovered after police learned that a 15-year-old boy had purchased a gun on Snapchat, according to charging documents.

Tyger Jordan Ukena, 23, is charged in 2nd District Court with transfer or possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; and sale of a firearm to a juvenile, a third-degree felony.

On Aug. 20, Layton police served a search warrant at the home of a 15-year-old boy and found drugs and a handgun. The boy told investigators he had purchased the gun from someone on Snapchat with the username “votetrump.2020,” the charges state.

Ukena drove to the boy’s residence on Aug. 6, and “showed him how to work the gun, racking back the slide. ... (The boy) said the male sold him a gun and two magazines loaded with ammunition,” according to a search warrant affidavit. The boy paid a total of $400.

After interviewing the boy, the Weber County Narcotic Strike Force, “utilizing an undercover account ... sent a friend request to votetrump.2020” on Snapchat. Undercover officers then purchased 30 THC cartridges from Ukena and police — including officers from the Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force, Ogden police and Adult Probation and Parole — arrested him, court documents state.

Ukena was on probation at the time of his arrest following a burglary conviction, according to the charges.

At the time of his arrest, he told officers that “he was on a zero tolerance with the judge but he was in debt to someone. Ukena said the friend paid for his attorney when he was set to go to prison. Ukena said he got in debt with this individual. Ukena said he was just paying off his debt, he wasn’t just dealing drugs,” the warrant states.

Agents then searched Ukena’s home and found 274 THC e-cartridges, according to the warrant.

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