A man who was among 76 people netted this fall during a two-month gang-enforcement operation was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison.
Juan Castillo-Ortiz, 26, who was arrested in August, pleaded guilty to re-entry of a deported alien and was sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups.
Castillo-Ortiz is a Mexican national whose criminal history includes weapons violations and felony drug charges, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who said he is a member of the Brown Pride street gang.
Last week, Waddoups sentenced 34-year-old Guadalupe Alfredo Melendez-Laine to 37 months in prison.
A Honduran linked to a Sureño 13 gang, Melendez-Laine had been deported at least five times before his latest arrest in August, the release states.
The ICE operation targeted gangsters who established themselves as criminals in Utah -- some after crossing the border illegally.
Castillo-Ortiz and Melendez-Laine were among 36 gang members arrested in Utah who were facing federal or state charges such as illegally entering the country after deportation, murder and drug possession, the release states.
The remaining 40 who had been arrested were foreign nationals who were being processed for deportation.
