2 arrested in heroin distribution ring

WEST VALLEY CITY — A large heroin distribution ring was busted by police here over the weekend following a five-month investigation.

Detectives were doing surveillance on a house near 5500 West and 4200 South on Friday just before 8 p.m. when two of men got into a car and left, said West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan.

The car was stopped, and officers found 3 ounces of heroin in a hidden compartment, he said. Two men, ages 42 and 33, were arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of federal drug and weapons charges, McLachlan said.

Detectives also had a search warrant for the house and served it after the two men were arrested. Inside, they found more than 5 pounds of heroin, a significant amount for that drug. The street value, once the heroin was cut up, or "stepped on," and passed out to various dealers, was between $80,000 to $120,000 per pound, McLachlan said. A semiautomatic pistol was also found in the house.

Investigators believe the two men were midlevel distributors who sold their drugs to independent street-level dealers. He did not know where the two men were getting their supply of drugs but noted in most heroin cases the drug is smuggled in from Mexico.

— Pat Reavy