Fifteen people were arrested in a large-scale gun and drug bust in Dallas, Texas, after a two-year investigation involving more than 200 officers and agents from various law enforcement agencies. The defendants were charged with various gun and drug crimes, and the operation resulted in the seizure of cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam, fentanyl, firearms and cash, according to a news release.
“Prosecuting these worst-of-the-worst offenders not only holds them accountable for past wrongs, but it also prevents them from committing future crimes," U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said in the release. "It makes our streets safer, and our communities sleep more soundly at night. An operation like this takes commitment – commitment of time, commitment of resources and, above all, psychological commitment – knowingly risking one’s own personal safety to ensure the security of the community. This case was almost exactly two years in the making. After yesterday, we’re confident it was worth the effort."
Simonton, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, revealed 15 people had been detained as part of a significant gun and narcotics bust July 27, the release reported.
More than 200 officers and agents from the FBI Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Sheriff's Office and other local agencies participated in the operation, which resulted in the seizure of nine firearms, more than $10,000 in cash, more than 540 grams of cocaine, 1,100 grams of methamphetamine, 150 grams of alprazolam and more than 7 grams of fentanyl, according to the release.
The defendants were accused of a number of crimes involving firearms and drugs, including felon in possession of firearms and cocaine distribution, in a 16-count indictment, the release said. They started making their initial court appearances July 28 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez.
The FBI Dallas Field Office, the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas and the other state and local authorities were all collaborators in the two-year investigation, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in the release.
The defendants detained had criminal histories that included assault, violent robbery, arson, use of deadly force with a firearm, manufacturing and supply of controlled substances and other crimes, the release said. Many of them were apparently armed, one of whom was said to be carrying a Glock switch, a potentially lethal accessory that can turn a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun that can fire continuously with just one pull of the trigger.
The release emphasized a criminal charge is just alleged in an indictment; there is no supporting documentation. Until a person is found guilty in a court of law, they are all assumed to be innocent. Some could spend up to 40 years in federal prison if found guilty.
