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| Metro unit hits Aryan gang with indictments |
| By Salt Lake Tribune |
| Published: 12/15/2003 |
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A federal indictment unsealed last Wednesday accuses a dozen Utah men of carrying out violent crimes both inside and outside of the state's prisons as members or associates of the Soldiers of the Aryan Culture, a gang that operated a methamphetamine ring throughout the state. The indictment, which had been under seal since a grand jury issued it Dec. 4, is the second time authorities have used the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law in Utah in an effort to bring down a street gang. The defendants, who are charged with various counts of racketeering, are accused of attempting seven murders, one of which resulted in the victim being maimed, and making violent threats in order to maintain their power and carry out drug trafficking. "We have definitely taken a huge step in dismantling this gang and sending a message to other hard-core gangs that we're not going to tolerate it," said Bill Robertson, investigative sergeant with the Metro Gang Unit, a multijurisdictional law enforcement agency. "We don't take these guys lightly at all." All 12 members are incarcerated in various prisons after a roundup last Tuesday that netted the final three. The others already were behind bars. Robertson says the bust -- in the works for a year and a half -- was a cooperative effort by the Metro Gang Unit, the FBI, the state Department of Corrections and the U.S. Attorney's Office. He credited people on "the front lines," including detectives in the state prison, with dislodging a criminal network that stretched from the Ogden area to Utah County. West Jordan police Detective Brent Jex worked on the investigation for 18 months. He says the gang members are very intellectual and capable of organizing a drug trade that often became violent. |
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