Fort Myers, FL – On March 31, the U.S. Marshals Service’s
Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force personnel from Fort Myers
partnered with state and local agencies to conduct Operation Washout, a
U.S. Marshals Service national initiative focused on the investigation
and arrest of violent fugitives and gang members with active arrest
warrants.
Operation Washout brings together state, local,
and federal law enforcement to focus on specific areas impacted by drug
trafficking and gang violence, and targets those with the greatest
propensity for crime. Several agencies partnered with the Fort Myers
Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (NETFORCE) which led to the numerous
arrests and narcotics seizures.
“This Department of Justice initiative is key to
keeping violent criminals off the streets, especially in Fort Myers,”
said United States Marshal for the Middle District of Florida William
Berger.
The operation led to 27 arrests, the seizure of
19 firearms, $146,000 in U.S. currency, $200,000 worth of cocaine, four
kilograms of heroin, over seven kilograms of MDMA, two pounds of
fentanyl and over one thousand grams of methamphetamine.
“The United States Marshals Service would like to
thank Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) Chief Derrick Diggs and the
continued partnership between both agencies,” said Berger.
“The relationship between the U.S. Marshals
Service, FMPD and the Fort Myers Narcotics Enforcement Task Force
(NETFORCE) was crucial to the success of this operation.”
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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