Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Police seized 1,000 fentanyl pills and made five arrests along the Jordan River Trail.
- Residents report increasing drug activity, with customers arriving at all hours.
- Authorities stress the need for more resources to address the persistent drug problem.
SALT LAKE CITY — The latest enforcement effort Saturday along the Jordan River Trail netted 1,000 fentanyl pills and five arrests, but police and neighbors both said the bust is reflective of a larger problem that requires more resources.
"I think they could do that twice a week, three times a week and probably have the same results," Steven Scott, who lives near the trail on 500 North said.
Scott said the drug traffic in the area has grown progressively worse over the past month, with customers seemingly arriving at all hours.
"This guy right here — he's here for drugs," Scott told KSL-TV as he referenced a car that slowed down in front of his house during an interview Sunday. "Anybody that pulls up here and parks — and you can just watch them — he's here for the drugs."
The latest operation to target drug traffic along the Jordan River Trail may have netted some significant drug totals, but it wasn't really the first attempt by police to slow the crime there.
Just days earlier, investigators announced they had arrested 10 people in another operation, following 23 arrests and the seizure of 1,700 fentanyl pills in early February.
Police said they've been hearing daily complaints from neighbors and even went door to door recently to ask what those neighbors hoped for from officers.
"We understand the frustration that community members may have about this," Salt Lake City police spokesman Brent Weisberg said.
Weisberg said it appeared the drug dealers were not just supplying the homeless in the neighborhood.
"We've also seen people living in very affluent lifestyles coming down to get these drugs that they feel are going to help them," Weisberg said. "For us, that's a huge problem."
He said it is impossible to know what is in any one pill and that people are taking their lives in their hands by consuming fentanyl off the streets.
Weisberg said the city has previously said it will take county and state resources to help deal with the ongoing issues.
Scott said it is possible the ongoing drug problem along the Jordan River Trail could lead to more violent crimes in the neighborhood.
"(It) could just be a matter of time," he said. "I think they will do anything to get their drugs."
