SALT LAKE CITY – Man Tat Le, 45, known on the streets as ‘Asian Le,’ is headed to federal prison for seven years after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball handed down the 84-month sentence Wednesday morning, a clear message that Utah’s drug pipeline won’t be tolerated.
The bust stemmed from a January investigation where agents with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), working with the FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, caught Le red-handed. Using a confidential human source (CHS), law enforcement secured approximately 3 ounces of methamphetamine from Le on January 22, 2020. This wasn’t Le’s first rodeo, and investigators knew it.
When law enforcement attempted to bring Le in, he didn’t hesitate to lead officers on a 20-minute high-speed chase through West Valley City and Salt Lake City. A West Valley City police officer initiated the pursuit, but Le floored it. The chase ended only after officers deployed spike strips, disabling Le’s vehicle and forcing him to attempt a desperate foot escape. He didn’t get far.
This conviction marks Le’s third federal conviction for methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute, with previous sentences handed down in June 2012 and September 2018. Clearly, rehabilitation attempts have failed. Le’s connections run deep, with authorities identifying him as affiliated with the Oriental Laotian Gang in Utah. Prosecutors have been aggressively targeting gang activity, filing 476 cases since January 2018, many involving multiple defendants.
“Far too many offenders cannot leave their criminal conduct behind and continue to negatively impact the peace and safety of Utah communities,” stated U.S. Attorney John W. Huber. “This conviction and prison sentence will ensure a seven year respite from this offender’s reckless actions that orbit around gang affiliation and drug distribution.” Huber emphasized that Le will be incarcerated out of state, as Utah currently lacks federal prison facilities, and will serve his full sentence with no chance of parole.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force isn’t backing down. “The public shouldn’t have to deal with violent offenders like Man Tat Le, who repeatedly brought dangerous drugs into our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Haertel. “The purpose of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force is to keep our communities safe from criminals like Le, who mistakenly believe they are above the law and won’t face tough consequences for their crimes.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office, with investigative support from the FBI, Utah SBI, and the police departments of West Valley City and Salt Lake City.
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Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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