76 Arrested in statewide gang sweep
76 arrested in statewide gang sweep
by Arthur Raymond
Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
More than 70 gang members netted in a statewide, multi-agency surge will face a battery of federal and state charges today including murder and drug possession. Over half will be looking at deportation proceedings.
The arrests were made over the past two months as part of "Operation Community Shield." The program, overseen by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's National Gang Unit, involved law enforcement officers from the Utah U.S. Attorney's office as well as members of the state's new SECURE immigration strike force — a unit just launched this summer and administered by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
ICE special agent Jonathan Lines, who coordinated the effort, said Wednesday the surge, which resulted in 76 arrests, was a great success.
"ICE is committed to rooting out these gang members before they get too embedded in communities," Lines said. "These are dangerous criminals. … More than half will do state or federal time before being deported."
Lines said a similar surge last summer resulted in more arrests — 124 — but this year's effort led to the arrests of more serious criminals. One of those arrested was Guadalupe Alfredo Melendez-Laine, 34, a Honduran national with ties to the Surenos 13 street gang who has previously been deported five times. Melendez-Laine was arrested in Salt Lake City Aug. 12, and according to the ICE report, has a lengthy criminal record including an arrest in Utah two years ago for possession and trafficking of heroin.
Shurtleff, who was a strong supporter of legislation last year that created the new state immigration strike force, said the team's involvement in the federally-led sweep was exactly what he had hoped for.
"The SECURE Strike Force is partnering with ICE in Operation Community Shield to do just what the people of Utah need: get the worst criminal aliens off our streets," Shurtleff said. "As attorney general, I am committed to protecting all law-abiding Utahns from these dangerous gang members."
The surge focused on four Utah cities — Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo and St. George.
Twenty-one of those arrests occurred in St. George. Lines said the southern Utah city's proximity to the Nevada border makes it a perfect transition point for gang members moving out of Nevada and California and looking for new opportunities in Utah. Lines said such ongoing efforts will help keep Utah an inhospitable new home for those looking to commit crime.
"We will continue to work to make sure gang members do not get the chance to become entrenched in Utah," he said.
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