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TAYLORSVILLE -- Five people are in jail, accused in a fake ID ring. Police say the suspects were selling drugs too.
The Utah Attorney General's Office says the five suspects were arrested in Taylorsville and other parts of the Salt Lake Valley May 13 as the result of a three-week investigation by several agencies, including the Statewide Enforcement of Crimes Committed by Undocumented Residents Strike Force (SECURE).
Investigators say the men made fake government documents, like drivers licenses and Social Security cards. They say the men would sell the fake IDs to other illegal immigrants and to people who wanted to commit fraud.
"These individuals will apply for car loans; they'll default on the loans right away. They'll usually leave the state with the cars. They'll make many other purchases at our local stores," explained Rhett McQuiston, SECURE Strike Force commander.
Police don't know how long the men were in business, but detectives say they were well into it. "I know they were a well-established ring of individuals," McQuiston said. "They had a very complex network, set up with different runners and different drop-off points to hide their illegal activity."These are the men police arrested:
- Christian Garcia-Pimental, 18, two third-degree felony counts of possession of forged writing
- Omar Jurado-Montano, 25, two third-degree felony counts of possession of a forged writing and one misdemeanor count of providing false information to law enforcement officers
- Alan Jurado, 32, three misdemeanor and one second-degree felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, three second-degree felony counts of distribution of a controlled substance, 12 third-degree felony counts of possession of forged writing and one second-degree felony count of racketeering
- Pedro Avilez-Castillo, 27, three misdemeanor and one second-degree felony count of possession of a controlled substance, three second-degree felony counts of distribution of a controlled substance and 13 third-degree felony counts of possession of forged writing and one second-degree count of racketeering
- Juan Jose Razcon-Santillan, 35, three misdemeanor counts of no proof of insurance, expired registration and open container in vehicle
During the bust, agents also found 4 pounds of marijuana and methamphetamine. The Utah Attorney General's SECURE Strike Force, which focuses on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, says it built up information that led to the arrests.
The strike force got help from Unified police, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and West Valley and Taylorsville police.
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Story compiled with contributions from Sandra Yi and Marc Giauque.
