26 people plead guilty to gun and drug charges in Fort Worth violent crime case
Eighteen people pleaded guilty to federal charges last week following a June law enforcement initiative in Fort Worth called Operation Showdown, aimed at reducing violent crime.
In late July and early August, eight other defendants in the case pleaded guilty.
The charges against the 26 defendants who have entered pleas so far range from assaults on federal agents to unlawful possession and trafficking of guns and illegal drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to a news release from Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The two-month, multi-agency initiative in Fort Worth led to the federal arrests of 56 defendants, and an additional 20 arrests on state charges in Tarrant County, authorities said. Four more defendants are scheduled to plead guilty in federal court on Wednesday, Aug 20.
The operation, carried out in April and May, targeted drug distribution and gun crimes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
The ATF led the investigation with help from agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fort Worth police, Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement
Operation Showdown targeted five Fort Worth hotspots where violent crime, driven by the trafficking of illegal drugs and firearms, has surged, authorities said.
Investigators seized 287 guns, 147 machine gun conversion devices, and 22 kilograms of cocaine, meth, heroin and fentanyl.
Eight of the people who were arrested in the operation are alleged to be in the United States illegally, authorities said.
The potential sentences of those who pleaded guilty range from 10 years to 40 years in federal prison, according to the release.