Police arrest 7 in drug cases

HOLLADAY — A busy week for the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit culminated Wednesday with the arrest of a man believed to have ties to a weapons-for-drugs ring out of Mexico.

Detectives from the gang unit went to an apartment near 5000 South and 1900 East about 2 a.m., where they had information there was a possible cache of weapons inside, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.

When the man refused to come to the door, the sheriff's SWAT team was called to execute a search warrant. The apartments surrounding the target unit were evacuated.

Fearing the man might be armed, the SWAT team used explosives to open the door and rush inside, Hutson said. The man surrendered at that point without incident.

Oscar Aguilar, 31, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Aguilar was the maintenance man at the complex, Hutson said. Investigators were unsure Wednesday morning, however, if the man had given them his real name, as they could not find any record of him, Hutson said.

Detectives found at least nine guns — handguns and long guns — in the apartment and a nearby storage unit, as well as "a lot" of ammunition, Hutson said. At least two of the guns were reported stolen out of Salt Lake and Duchesne counties.

A 28-year-old woman in the apartment was also arrested on outstanding warrants.

Investigators believe Aguilar was part of a larger ring that was trading weapons in Mexico for drugs. Investigators were led to the Holladay apartment because of a bust on Tuesday.

In that incident, five people were arrested following a short chase and the discovery of an abandoned baby in a car.

The incident started just after 11:30 p.m. Monday when a man left a party with a woman and her 6-week-old baby, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Schoenfeld with the Metro Gang Unit. The man stopped at another house, near 1100 West and 1600 South, so the woman could run in and talk to her friend for a moment, Schoenfeld said.

While the driver was waiting outside in the car, a nearby deputy spotted the vehicle and recognized it as possibly being stolen, Schoenfeld said. The deputy then recognized the driver due to a distinguishable tattoo, the man's moniker, above his eye. The driver, however, also spotted the deputy and drove off. He drove a short distance before getting out and running, Schoenfeld said.