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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Cartel presence in Utah 'exploding' with violence likely to increase, police warn


The cartel presence in Utah has “exploded” in recent years and increased drug-related crime and violence could follow in the future, Unified police narcotics detectives cautioned.

“There are crimes that are going unsolved,” said an undercover detective who asked not to be identified for safety reasons. “It’s very real. It’s very, very concerning.”

One recent concerning development, according to investigators, is confidential informants saying that people involved in the drug trade have been disappearing occasionally.

“They’ll come to us and they’ll say … a certain person disappeared, but we are unable to find out who this person is because they’re either undocumented, they don’t have any type of a job,” the undercover detective said.

While police have no way to determine what exactly became of these people, they believe they likely “disappeared” based on the information they received.

“It’s known that that’s why they’re disappearing — either because of some bad drug trade that happened, some arrest,” the detective said. “Unfortunately with dope off the street, it’s lost money and gains for the cartel and somebody’s got to answer for that.”

Unified Police Sgt. Lex Bell, who works in the metro gang unit, said although there is no proof, drug investigators suspect multiple unsolved murders may be cartel-related, including a February 2007 case involving two men found dead in a burned-out car near Delle, a December 2011 shooting west of The Gateway in Salt Lake City that left a man dead and a January case near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where a headless body was discovered.

The Park County Sheriff's Office in Wyoming had circulated pictures of a belt and boots found on the headless body, in hopes of gathering more information about the crime.

Cartel presence
Bell said he rarely heard about cartels when he first joined the police force, but the infamous Sinaloa Cartel has had a presence in Utah for at least seven or eight years and is believed to have seen significant growth in recent years.

“You’re hard-pressed to get anybody to say, ‘I’m a member of the Sinaloa Cartel,’ but what we hear, yeah, a lot of it is,” Bell said. “The drug dealer types that we’ve run across — most tell us that they’re from Sinaloa.”

Police say, however, that it's not the only cartel operating in the state.

“You’re talking about Sinaloa, La Linia and La Familia Michoacana,” he said. “There’s plenty of customer base to go around for everybody to take their share of the business.”

Business is booming, police say, thanks largely to soaring demand for competitively priced heroin — $10 for a heroin balloon compared to as much as $85 for an OxyContin pill.

Utah has always been a strong market for meth, according to the detectives, and the well-to-do economy makes the state a lucrative region for drug traffickers.

“They run it like a corporation,” Bell said. “Their corporation makes more than any other corporation that I’m aware.”

Utah also has strategic value to traffickers.

“We’re a hub, where I-15 comes right through, I-80 comes right through Utah,” Bell said. “From here, you can branch out all over the Midwest, to Colorado, up to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming.”
Cartel future

For that reason, detectives said they expect an increase in drug-related violence in the future — particularly when one of the cartels decides to take control of the entire market.

“There is going to be competition, and with competition there can be violence in this world,” Bell said.

His prediction was echoed by the undercover detective.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before one of the cartels decides to take over the entire market, wiping out the rest of the other two cartels or whoever else is here,” he said.

Neither detective, however, believes that Utah will someday see the same quantity of kidnappings and other crimes that Phoenix sees, or that cities across the Mexican border experience.

“It wouldn’t benefit for any of them — the cartels — for that to happen here,” Bell said. “I think it behooves them not to have that violence follow them to a lucrative market like Utah.”

Cartel structure
Bell said the cartels have been filling their organizations with people not from Utah, and are less likely in general to employ locals. That, in turn, makes the job of the Metro Gang Unit much more difficult.


“We have no records on them, we have no history with them, we don’t know who they are,” Bell said. “We frankly don’t know how to target them.”

The undercover detective said cartel bosses in Utah aren’t easily identifiable because they look like reputable members of the community.

“They look like you, driving Range Rovers, $80,000 to $90,000 cars, no tattoos, clean-cut,” he described. “They own restaurants, they own dance clubs, they own bars. They are your regular, standard businessmen.”

“Those people tend to be ghosts — it makes it difficult because they rotate them around,” Bell added. “We constantly are able to work a case back to one of the supply-level personnel, but not necessarily the cartel guy.”

The undercover detective said it’s important for the public to know about the cartel presence because everyday people end up making a difference in these cases.

“Be able to recognize it, and to be honest, they just have to remember we can only be as successful as the public is involved,” he said. “As they call the police and report it — that’s how we catch the bad guy.”
Source: Desert 

51 comments:

  1. Chapo is losing everything

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  2. He who controls the chiva and the perico controls the world

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  3. The detectives don't know anything. CDH runs Utah not CDS. As you recall Badger told the crew he was going to Utah. Everybody knows he went to set up shop. And when Jesse escaped, he pick up Skinny P and Badger booked to Utah to run Cartel De Heisenberg .

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    1. So aver Whos diz cdh explain where confused

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  4. Isn't la familia done? Or would they be talking about templarios?

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    1. Yes they r still around they just don't operate as the once did n michoacan

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  5. Let them kill each other,everybody wins.

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  6. There isn't even a lot of crime related to the sinaloenses here in phoenix, the kidnapping statistics were inflated by the police to receive more federal money, here the politicians are dumb asses, the governor hassles the president trying to save face for the ignorant tea party, the SB1070 author gets recalled, the sherriff goes around targeting car washes hunting down Mexicans and gets scolded by supreme court justices, the fucking candidates for governor lie about their services in the armed forces, and the other sherriff gets caught fucking a undocumented man, AZ is something else but I still love driving to El Capri bumping Chalino a todo volumen

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  7. The GOP will probably say its because those kids from central america are really cartel hitmen here to take over Utah and rape all the white women...but not before killing half the population by spreading ebola to them

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  8. who's really the bad guy ? now these dirty cops want help from us .the same cops that killed Kelly Thomas .the same cops that search your car illegally. the same cops to set up a check point and draw blood from you illegally .and violate any other rights you have and take your life if they want and Then GO covered up those are the cops that want your help turning in drug dealers so they can get more overtme and more funding and when they see a chance to steal they will .

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    1. I'm very saddened to c a message like this but it's the sad reality those dirty pigs killed 4 people in 1 month here.. I'm n Washington. .. n it's starting to get outa hand this last one was sitting at some corner playing with a knife n was told to drop it he refused cuz it wasn't illegal so he was shot 7 times come wtf did that deserve death. What world will r kids grow up in

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    2. So you blame all cops. Because of some psychos? Asshole

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  9. Kill your addicts.

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  10. I'm from Sunnyville.. I know for sure no 1 CONTROLS SLC . We do got presence of cds cdg and los zetas. N some independent michocanos. But no1 controls it. There is heavy presence. . I'm not gonna incriminate myself so I'll say.. I've herd that alot of shit is coming from south Texas. . N alot of blow from el mesquite sinaloa those r the ones I hear of.. n alot of independent method seller

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  11. someone commented, let them kill each other. what about all the kids these losers have? any idea how f upd the schools become when they enroll?

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  12. Comments by know nothing idiot cop haters, write when you know something, teeny bloggers.

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  13. La familia still lives some members from los templarios are jumping the ship back to LF. But Zetas are also in utah just for the FYI. CDG has been in utah before CDS. It will be hard to crack Utah crime because the local gangs do all the work. In uath CDS controls La Mexican Mafia, & LT control Norteños, Los Zetas controls La Mara Salvatrucha & the sureños gang are split in half by Z, CDS

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    1. Mexican mafia are split, you have the new Mexican mafia fighting the old Mexican mafia and states are also independently working under the Mexican mafia name so all the cartels have ties to them but I don't believe they control them

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  14. Viva alejo garza tamez! !!!!

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  15. In comparison to the population of the U.S., the overall size of the U.S. armed forces is relatively small. I believe it's about 2 million man/woman military amoung the 4 branches of the military. However, the law enforcement agencies of the U.S. are highly militarized. All agencies of the 4 levels of government have well armed tactical units, swat, and police personal are trained in automatic rifles. In other words, the U.S. is highly militarized nation. You can call the U.S. a Police state, or better yet a military state. That is what makes the U.S. a world power to be reckoned with. The chances of armed rebellion or existence of armed movements in the U.S. are practically zero. Coupled with a strong economy full of opportunities to make a good living. The cartel problem of Mexico doesn't have a chance in the U.S.A.

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    1. The US has a worse gang problem than Mexico. You can't even control your own gangs.

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    2. I agree, what you wrote makes a lot of sense. I've been to a lot of countries and i heard of people hating the U.S. but no organized crime or terrorist can overtake the U.S. because of the many police agencies and tactical units. If anything the us agencies control organized crime because they infiltrate in all organized crime. real

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  16. This is the very reason the avg american citizen is freaking out over immigration cause these bastards blend in to the honest hardworking mexican community and makes it hard to know! Im not against immigrants from mexico and central america coming here but i wish they cud leave the cartel garbage there! I wish the crackheads wud stop using the shit and the narcos would just drop off the face of the earth!!! Oh and as for the crooked cops? Life without parole in general population!!!

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  17. to the person here who says americas militarized police state makes them a world power to be reckoned with is a moron.

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  18. That will solve the problem.

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  19. at 8:03 PM
    "Comments by know nothing idiot cop haters, write when you know something, teeny bloggers"
    And some idiot Mexicans who seen to support crime no matter where it occurs,and its all a conspiracy,crime doesn't happen,the police are lying for politics.You know the usual run of the mill hating(racist)bullshit from Mexicans...Nice..

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  20. cops are the biggest drunks on the road .they think they are above the law I live on Long Island and a few weeks ago some Drunk cop moded down a 12 year old handicapped girl crossing the street,and drove away by she died in the street.(2blocks from me) he came foward 2 days later with a lawyer and said he thought he hit a cone..but hold on a minute let me do my civic duty and go to the local cop bar and tell them who's moving drugs in the neighborhood ... f*** off .

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  21. "This is the very reason the avg american citizen is freaking out over immigration cause these bastards blend in to the honest hardworking mexican community"
    That's racist.American citizens don't have a right to be concerned about immigration,how dare they be concerned about their well-being,homes and children?

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    1. No you are just afraid, that's why the terrorist won.

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    2. @10:15 a.m theres nothing racist in that comment or at least it wasnt meant to be.god made everybody and doesnt care what color we are but he dont like ugly(criminals) and no we are not scared our president is!!!

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  22. let's let the guns go south and see who's buying them , and let the drugs come up north and see who's selling them .somebody please deputize me when do I start ?

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    1. Its the Mexican buying guns , but the whites selling them. It's thr Mexicans selling drugs. And the whites buying them.

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    2. That's right.NO Mexicans in the USA use drugs,none!!

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  23. "That's racist.American citizens don't have a right to be concerned about immigration,how dare they be concerned about their well-being,homes and children?"

    I didn't write the post you're responding to and i get your sarcasm, However i do recognize some racism in a lot of the people protesting against these central American kids coming over. Fox news pushes that agenda. its not always black or white, but often grey with some justified concern blended in with some out right racists. Some people aren't either but use the situation to play off people's emotions and garner votes one way or the other...it seems the people most opposed to these immigrants are also on the bottom rung of society's ladder and thus have to compete with them. I'm well paid, educated, and consider myself pretty smart, as such, they don't pose a threat to me or my livelihood...in fact i might even be able to afford a maid if this keeps up

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    1. Hire Mama Rosa.

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    2. The group LA Raza is now saying to kill all Americans.that's funny because LA raza comes from a group that killed and stole the Indians land in mexico.I wonder if the indios want to kill la raza?

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  24. 11:34 am, if you need more money because you would like to have a maid, you can clean my house on saturdays . I pay very well (inquire within)

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  25. the crip tong gangs imported by the lds church, and the bloods tong wing of the same polynesian immigrants have been raising hell, in utah for a long time, history chanel's gangland has a nice story about those mexican looking polynesian gangs, they are not mexican, maybe new real mexican gangs and immigrants are not welcome, they are not lds members.
    --the militarization of the US police is true, their abusing of people and their civil rights is true too, all the most famous practices of fascism are being taught to the puppet regimes of the US all over the world...
    --the US is helping neo-nazis takeover ukrainia a sangre y fuego...
    --the israeli are defending themselves from the hamas terroristas by nazi style attacks on civilian population murdering them, who have noting to do with the terrorists or their weapons, probably provided by the israelis themselves, as usual...
    --in mexico we have seen plenty abuses by the mexican spurious government, arresting auto-defensas, hipolito mora and Dr Mireles on planted evidence and imposing silence on the press...
    --frankly, it is plenty fag...
    -gotty to come and deny what is happening in front of our very noses all over the world, and frankly your petticoats are too small to cover up the dirty deeds of police, politicians military and businessmen all over the world

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    1. If you obey the Utah laws and are not a punk scumbag abusing others you will not have a problem in northern Utah. the cartels are not a problem .if they become one expect Utah to efficiently squash it.no problem.and I'm not a cop.

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  26. @7:29 p.m we dont have to! They are doing a pretty good job of killing themselves with that shit they buy! I do however think they should sterilize the dopeheads so they cant reproduce and walla no dopeheads left to buy their product lol!

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  27. I wonder if these Utah cartel guys are Jazz fans

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  28. Fuckin idiots,US,and Mexican,but especially Mexican,racist people who hate everyone but get away with it because of the historical past.People here know the truth of this,but,in this day and age people are sheep

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  29. The Mormon Mafia needs to crack down

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  30. Jokes on them! They have to live in utah haha.

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  31. "The chances of armed rebellion or existence of armed movements in the U.S. are practically zero. Coupled with a strong economy full of opportunities to make a good living. The cartel problem of Mexico doesn't have a chance in the U.S.A."

    Blah, blah,.... Hahahaha... The USA is highly criminal cities and corruption. The lists of gangs in streets is superior in comparison with Mexico.

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  32. It may happen but only once.Utah has serious cowboys,secret police,and military.in mountain towns the gang behave themselves be cause the cowboys and the farmers and the ranchers and the sheriff will kill them and bury them in the mountains.they do it now and its called western justice.there are lots of special forces vets in Utah because they like the mountains and outdoor recreation.the cartels will behave them selves or they will be disestablished.the intellengece network is very deep in Utah and is every where.if shit happens its squashed after the fact.but never will Utah be like mexico.all of Utah is armed and the ordinary citizens VOLUNTEER to fuck criminals.the are just waiting for trouble makers.no problem.

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  33. So is it "exploding" with violence or not?
    A lot of "well, we really don't know if..."
    The perennial law enforcement exaggeration to keep milking the War on Drugs Cash Cow.

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  34. Los carteles no quieren problemas en Utah, al menos, no en público en Utah, SLC? Debido a que no les gusta llamar la atención de la policía de US. La violencia hace difícil negocio aqui. Así que la gente desaparece? Keep it on the down low.....

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