DEA Reports 'Big' Heroin Bust In Salt Lake Valley
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Thursday, August 21 2014, 02:52 PM MDT
DEA Reports 'Big' Heroin Bust In Salt Lake Valley
(KUTV) The Drug Enforcement Administration said it was hidden in soles of shoes, pop-up car cup holders---but now, 31 pounds of heroin linked to a Mexican drug cartel are no longer headed to feed Utah addictions.
"This is a big deal," said Nicki Hollmann, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Utah. "There are significant supplies of heroin coming into Utah than were coming in a decade ago."
Hollmann joined with local police on Thursday morning to announce busts of 21 people over several months, and the seizure of the drugs, allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, an organization the Log Angeles Times dubbed "Mexico's most powerful" of its kind.
The arrests, according to Hollmann, include Mexican Nationals, some of whom have lived in the U.S. legally, and others who had previously been deported.
As big as the bust may be, a police chief seemed to acknowledge Utah heroin use is bigger---agreeing with a reporter, that fighting heroin is akin to a "whack a mole" game.
2News spoke to several people at Pioneer Park, site of recurring drug busts for decades, and asked if the announced seizure and arrests would make a difference in the drug trade.
"31 pounds will be here in an hour," said one man, who would not give his name, but claimed he was a twelve year heroin user. "When one gets arrested, ten more show up that same day."
"There might be a momentary lapse (of the heroin supply)," said another man, who added "Utah is pretty much a crossroads" for drugs.
Another man, who described himself as a recovered heroin addict, pointed to the ground near a sidewalk, at what looked like candy wrappers. The small pieces of paper and plastic, he said, were likely discarded packaging for drugs.
Hollmann said when drug cartels infiltrate Utah, "then our families are at risk."
To the notion that this bust might not have a significant impact, she replied, "If I had a heroin distributor living next to me, and the DEA and the Metro Narcotics Task Force arrested him, it would make a big difference in my life."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5697998.html
