SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Salt Lake City Police made five arrests as part of a focused operation on Tuesday, removing a multitude of drugs off Salt Lake City streets.
SLCPD said officers confiscated 10.9 grams of methamphetamine, 139 fentanyl tablets, 14.7 grams of heroin, and four grams of cocaine as part of the operation. $100 in cash related to the arrests was also confiscated.
The operation took place on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Officers with the SLCPD’s bike squads launched investigations throughout Salt Lake City.
According to officers, three of the arrests – 39-year-old Kelvin Ramirez, 39-year-old Duval Hernandez-Avila, and 60-year-old Gabriel Schiavone – were all seen allegedly selling drugs to another person on Tuesday. Police say all three were found to have drugs in their possession upon their arrest and were all booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
Ramirez and Schiavone face charges of drug possession and distribution. Hernandez-Avila faces only one count of distribution.
Another arrest came after officers saw a car described as “suspicious with no license plates.” According to SLCPD, officers stopped the car and learned the driver, later identified as 29-year-old Zerina Besic, had warrants out for her arrest. Besic allegedly gave officers a false name during the stop. She was also booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on outstanding warrants.
The final highlighted arrest came after officers say they spotted and recognized 43-year-old Jose Nunez-Marcano. According to SLCPD, officers knew Nunez-Marcano had warrants and safely took him into custody. Upon his arrest, officers allegedly found small bags of individually wrapped heroin in his possession.
Nunez-Marcano faces charges of drug possession, obstruction of justice and his outstanding warrants.
SLCPD said they also made eight other arrests on drug-related charges on Tuesday that were not related to the operation, making 13 drug-related arrests in total.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
