FBI nabs 45 suspects in operation against violent gangs

 

ARKANSANS – The  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with federal, state, and local partners have arrested 45 people for drug and firearm crimes in Pine Bluff and Little Rock, Arkansas in operation targeting violent gangs.

According to FBI, the two FBI-led operations focused on rival gangs, with the goal of addressing violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock.

He said one case focused on the EBK or Every Body Killas gang and resulted in the indictment of 35 defendants. The second focused on the Loady Murder Mobb gang and resulted in the indictment of 26 defendants.

The final operation, led by the Drug Enforcement Agency, was centered on sources supplying drugs through the mail that were then being sold to individuals in Arkansas and Texas. A total of 18 defendants were charged in that case, while another individual was charged in a separate indictment.

“Today’s operation and arrests are the culmination of a multi-year, multi-agency investigation targeting violent organizations which preyed upon Arkansas communities,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James Dawson.

“For the past two years, FBI employees and Arkansas law enforcement partners worked relentlessly to investigate and combat the violence plaguing our state. Today, those efforts have brought much-needed relief to besieged neighborhoods across central Arkansas.”

Of the 80 defendants indicted in the three investigations, eight of those were already in custody when the operation began.

FBI and other law enforcement agents began early in the morning by searching for remaining 72 suspects; they successfully arrested 45. In addition to these arrests, authorities seized four firearms, small amounts of drugs, and $30,000 in cash.

“We are grateful to the numerous agencies who assisted with this operation, especially the police departments who have investigators assigned to our task force,” said Dawson. “We also thank the dedicated prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office who continue to ensure violent criminals in Arkansas are held responsible for their illegal actions.”

These efforts are part of several Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operations. These operations seek to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.