Citing a "long and significant" history of violence, a federal judge ruled Friday a man accused of being the "kingpin" of a multimillion-dollar ecstasy-dealing ring will remain in federal custody pending trial.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart found that Long Bao Ngo, 31, had a history of violence, drug dealing and gang affiliation.
Ngo petitioned for release after he was arrested and charged with dealing over 100,000 tablets of ecstasy with a street value of up to $2 million.
An attorney for Ngo argued last Thursday that his client had left behind his life of gangs and violence to be a father and the manager of a dry-cleaning business in Park City.
However,federal prosecutors characterized Ngo as a hard-core high figure in an Asian gang, sporting a tatoo on his arm of a gang member flashing a gang sign and brandishing a semi-automatic weapon.
Also on Thursday, a federal prosecutor said he was informed that after a recent court hearing, Ngo was overheard threatening the prosecutor's life.
"Such an allegation must be taken seriously," Stewart wrote.