UT - Gang sweep: 76 held, 40 face deportation
Posted on Sunday, October 04 @ 01:36:27 EDT
Topic: immigration and customs enforcement
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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and Utah law enforcement wrapped up a two-month long operation to arrest known gang members this week.
A total of 76 arrests were made statewide, three of which took place in Logan and another 13 in Northern Utah during the week of Sept. 14.
Subjects = Illegal Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, gangs, Utah, Operation Community Shield, deportations
October 3, 2009
Matthew K. Jensen
The Herald Journal
“We targeted four key locales — Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden and St. George,” said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice. “We were in each of these locations for several days. In the Ogden-Logan area there were 15 arrests, five of which were criminal arrests and 10 were administrative immigration arrests.”
The arrests were made as part of an ongoing initiative by ICE’s National Gang Unit called “Operation Community Shield.” As part of the initiative, ICE partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to target the significant public safety threat posed by transnational street gangs.
Jonathan Lines, assistant special agent in charge of investigations at the Salt Lake City ICE office, said two of the three suspects from Logan were in possession of fraudulent documents and that the third was in possession of marijuana. Information about the individuals came largely from prior investigations by local law enforcement.
“We worked closely with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office and Logan Police Department,” he said. “We rely greatly on the intelligence they provide to us leading to suspected foreign nationals.”
Lines declined to release the suspect’s names pending formal charges. He added that all three are suspected of having gang ties.
“We certainly wanted to use our resources in the best way possible,” he stressed. “We make sure that we focus on the worst of the worst in our communities. We know that there are countless numbers of undocumented aliens in our state but we want to target the worst offenders.”
Lines said two of the three local suspects are in state custody being processed for criminal hearings. The third is undergoing deportation proceedings.
Thirty-six of the alleged gang members and gang associates arrested in Utah over the last two months are facing federal or state criminal prosecution on charges ranging from re-entry after deportation to murder and drug possession. The remaining 40 are foreign nationals who are being processed for deportation.
ICE collaborated on the enforcement strategy with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, which is handling the federal criminal prosecutions and with the office of the Utah Attorney General.
“Operation Community Shield is a proactive partnership designed to remove transnational gang members and their associates from our communities,” said Utah U.S. Attorney Brett L. Tolman. “Reducing gang violence in Utah involves a coordinated effort by local, state, and federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors. Operation Community Shield is one tool we will continue to use to target gang violence in Utah neighborhoods. We recognize and appreciate the contributions of local, state, and federal agencies to Operation Community Shield this year.”
Among those charged federally is a 34-year-old Honduran national with ties to the Sureno 13 street gang who has been previously deported at least five times. Guadalupe Alfredo Melendez-Laine was taken into custody by ICE agents in Salt Lake City on Aug. 12.
Melendez has a lengthy criminal record, including numerous prior arrests and convictions, including a local arrest two years ago for possession and distribution of heroin. The documented gang member is charged with re-entry after deportation, a violation that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Also charged with re-entry after deportation is Juan Castillo-Ortiz, 26, a Mexican national and member of the Brown Pride street gang. Castillo-Ortiz, whose criminal history includes prior arrests for weapons violations and felony drug charges, was arrested by ICE agents in Salt Lake City Aug. 27.
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