A drug sweep of the area around Pioneer Park netted 15 felony arrests Tuesday night.
Salt Lake City narcotics detectives, working with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, sent undercover officers out looking for drug buyers and sellers between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Fred Ross.
All 15 of the arrests were drug related, with about a half-dozen for drug solicitation and the others for distribution, Ross said. Nine of those arrested now face possible deportation and two to four suspects may have additional federal charges of aggravated re-entry into the United States.
A year ago, Salt Lake police conducted a weeklong sweep of the park and the area around it in response to a growing outcry from residents and businesses of ongoing drug problems and its accompanying violence. A total of 658 people were arrested in the six-day sweep with the promise of more saturation enforcement efforts in the future.
In April of this year, 257 people were arrested in a similar sting.
— Pat Reavy