CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – A 26-week-long, large-scale multi-agency law enforcement operation led by the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force, focused on wanted gang members and firearms related offenders, has concluded.
From April 7 to September 30, U.S. Marshals, task force officers, police officers and agents worked in partnership as a force multiplier in Operation Triple Beam – Third Coast to achieve a common goal -- to target documented gang members and violent offenders, identify targets, and collect tangible criminal intelligence all in a systematic effort to reduce violent crime. OTB-Third Coast resulted in the following:
- 351 overall arrests
- 92 gang members arrested
- 86 firearms seized
- 32.971 kilograms of narcotics seized
- $4,360,968 in U.S. currency seized
Of the total arrests, 92 were confirmed gang members. In addition, 11 individuals were arrested for homicide/capital murder, 74 for assault, 68 for weapons offenses, 21 for robbery, 135 for drug offenses, 28 for burglary, 29 for sex offenses, and five for arson.
During this operation, the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force and other agencies involved initially focused their efforts on warrant executions on members of established street and prison gangs in Nueces County, Aransas County, San Patricio County and surrounding areas who were wanted for aggravated offenses. As the operation progressed, the focus shifted to known high-crime areas and violent fugitives with aggravated warrants, as well as street-level criminal activity conducted in these areas. Multiple gangs were targeted.
Participating agencies: Corpus Christi Police Department; Corpus Christi Independent School District Police; Nueces County Sheriff’s Office; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“As violent crime and gang violence continue to rise and plague our cities and counties, those of us in the law enforcement community must be ready and willing to engage,” said U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas T. Michael O’Connor. “The goal of Operation Triple Beam is to foster safer communities by providing immediate relief from gang-related violence by investigating and arresting fugitive gang members and the criminal organizations responsible for committing violent crimes. I am extremely proud of all our law enforcement partners who have worked so diligently these past several months.”
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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