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SALT LAKE CITY — A national sweep targeting transnational gang members led to 18 arrests in Utah last month.
Project Wildfire, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, cracked down on nearly 1,000 people affiliated with 239 gangs across the country, the department reported Wednesday. In Utah, arrests were primarily made along the Wasatch Front and in St. George, according to the release.
Seven local law enforcement agencies assisted the U.S. Marshals Service and ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Two gang affiliates were arrested in St. George on March 1, according to an ICE spokesman, while 16 more were arrested between March 25 and March 30: two in Kearns; one in Layton; one in Midvale; one in Murray; three in Salt Lake City; one in Sandy; two in West Jordan; and four in West Valley City.
Four of the individuals who were in Utah were found to be in the country illegally, two having been previously deported, according to the ICE representative.
Requests for the names of the arrested individuals and details of the accusations against them were denied.
The the six-week sweep was part of the global Operation Community Shield initiative, which works with law enforcement at all levels to combat gang growth.
Most of the 976 gang affiliates arrested and charged nationwide during Project Wildfire are U.S. citizens, but 199 foreign nationals were also arrested, ICE noted in the release. The majority have violent criminal histories, including 19 wanted on warrants connected to murder investigations, while 15 were suspected of rape or sexual assault.
Agents also seized weapons, drugs and more, according to the release: 82 firearms; 5.2 kilograms of methamphetamine; 7.8 kilograms of marijuana; 5.6 kilograms of cocaine; 1.5 kilograms of heroin; $379,399 in U.S. currency; counterfeit merchandise valuing $547,534; and five vehicles.
"Criminal gangs inflict violence and fear upon our communities, and without the attention of law enforcement, these groups can spread like a cancer," said ICE Director Sarah R. Saldaña. "That's why ICE works with law enforcement partners around the country to stamp out gang activity wherever it takes place."
