Nearly two dozen suspected members of the state's largest-ever methamphetamine trafficking ring are in custody following a massive grand jury indictment returned last week.
"This organization hasn't been crippled. It's been dismantled," said Barry Jamison, special agent-in-charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Metro Task Force.
The 59-count indictment was filed under seal Thursday in federal court. The charges were announced at a Monday afternoon news conference.
All but four of the 24 named defendants have been arrested. The indictment also accuses three Utah tobacco shops — Up in Smoke, K.N.P. and the Discount Cigarette Factory Outlet — of laundering the group's drug money.
Two of the ring's alleged leaders, Niels Orrin Yergensen and Irven Douglas Adams, face up to life in prison if convicted.
Yergensen is charged with 43 federal counts, including distribution and possession of methamphetamine, filing a false tax return and money laundering. Adams, the owner of Up in Smoke and the Discount Cigarette Factory Outlet, faces 17 similar counts.
The remaining defendants are alleged to be minor distributors and suppliers of the drugs. Many face minimum mandatory sentences of five to 10 years behind bars.
The ring was responsible for the majority of meth sold throughout the Salt Lake Valley, Jamison said, and is estimated to have trafficked more than 300 pounds of drugs a year.
U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner said the bust will deal a "major blow" to the Salt Lake drug trade, at least for the time being.
"A lot of people are going to be without a source (of drugs) for a short period of time," Warner said.
Still, he said, smaller distributors will soon move up the ranks, which is why it's necessary to hit drug dealers in the pocketbook.
In this case, law enforcement officers seized $1.2 million in assets from the defendants.
"It is not sufficient to merely arrest people and put people in prison if we don't take away the incentive," Warner said. "We are going to take assets that are ill-gotten gains from people who are trafficking this garbage."
According to court documents, Yergensen used drug money to build a $425,000 home in Murray, spent $20,000 on landscaping and paid another $21,000 for a home-theater system. He also allegedly purchased 10 acres of land in Eagle Mountain, Utah County, for $108,000.
Prosecutors seek the forfeiture of Yergensen's home and property, plus the home-theater system, which includes Ms. PacMan and Centipede video games, and jewelry. They also seek four vehicles and a speedboat reportedly owned by members of the group.
Court documents also ask that a $4.8 million money judgment be levied against Adams, Yergensen and defendant Kimberly Mikesell.
Warner said the possible consequences should be of interest to others intent on dealing drugs in Utah.
"We hope that those who continue to import meth into the state will take note that they do so at a very serious price if they are caught," Warner said. "And we do intend to catch them."
Federal agents worked closely with local law-enforcement agencies throughout the nearly yearlong investigation. However, because of Utah's "unique" asset forfeiture laws, none of the collected $1.2 million will be returned to those agencies.
Federal law requires all seized assets be returned to crime-fighting efforts, Warner said. But because Utah law funnels money from forfeited assets into the state's school system, Warner is prohibited from giving the money to the state agencies.
"That's really sad in these days of tough budget restraints," Warner said.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff attempted to get the Utah Legislature to alter the state's forfeiture law during the 45-day legislative session that ended last week. The bill died after concerns from the public that changing the law would leave citizens vulnerable to illegal seizures by police.
E-mail: awelling@desnews.com