More than 300 arrested by US Marshals in Gulf Coast crime sweep targeting violent criminals

By Nadeem Muaddi, CNN

The US Marshals Service announced the end of a 26-long-week, multiagency crime sweep, resulting in the arrest of more than 350 people on the Gulf Coast.

The action, dubbed “Operation Triple Beam – Third Coast,” targeted documented gang members and violent offenders, and sought to identify targets and collect criminal intelligence, the US Marshals said in a statement on Monday. The operation began April 7 and ended September 30.

Authorities arrested 351 people, including 92 gang members. Charges ranged from capital murder to sex offenses and arson. They also seized 86 firearms, 32.971 kilograms of narcotics, and $4,360,968.

“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,” T. Michael O’Connor, US Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, said in the statement. “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.”

Among the agencies participating in the operation were the Corpus Christi Police Department; Nueces County Sheriff’s Office; Texas Department of Public Safety; Homeland Security Investigations; US Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“I am extremely proud of all our law enforcement partners who have worked so diligently these past several months,” O’Connor said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.