SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Over the past week, more than 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers worked together with prosecutors to arrest and charge 101 individuals in federal investigations for violent crimes.Today, the Justice Department announced the results of “Operation Spring Cleaning”, a multi-agency law enforcement operation conducted March 17th – 19th that identified, apprehended, and initiated prosecution against some of the most violent offenders in the Springfield and Joplin metropolitan areas, including Greene, Jasper, and Christian Counties. Its mission was straightforward: use existing Missouri and Midwest-based law enforcement resources in a coordinated way to serve warrants across partner agencies, arrest individuals wanted for serious crimes and identify additional evidence that supports successful prosecution.This effort resulted in 85 federal indictments charging 101 defendants with a variety of offenses including firearms, narcotics, and sex offenses. During the investigations into these matters, law enforcement seized a total of 141 firearms, 11.21 pounds of cocaine, 1.5 pounds of fentanyl, 204.89 pounds of marijuana, 88.14 pounds of methamphetamine, and 2.06 pounds of psilocyn. Additionally, 10 arrests on state warrants were executed including an arrest for a suspect charged with murder in the first degree and a CODIS hit for an unsolved rape investigation.“Operation Spring Cleaning is an example of the extraordinary impact that law enforcement, at all levels of government, can have when we combine our resources and focus collectively on aggressively combatting violent crime,” said U.S.
Attorney R. Matthew Price.U.S. Attorney Price thanked the partner agencies in this coordinated effort including:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)Carthage Police DepartmentChristian County Sheriff’s OfficeDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA)Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s OfficeGreene County Sheriff’s OfficeHomeland Security Investigations (HSI)Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s OfficeJasper County Sheriff’s OfficeJoplin Police DepartmentMissouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP)Newton County Sheriff’s OfficeNixa Police DepartmentOzark Police DepartmentSpringfield Police DepartmentUnited States Marshals Service (USMS)Price continued, “Operation Spring Cleaning serves as a double-down on our ongoing collaboration in Southwest Missouri and a reminder that law enforcement officers, not violent criminals, control the streets of Springfield, Joplin, and all surrounding areas. We are playing offense now, and will remain on offense to confront crime and engage violent criminals at the time and place of our choosing.”Operation Spring Cleaning was conducted by the Violent Crime Abatement Team (VCAT), a coalition of Missouri-based federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to respond to violence and gun crimes.
The goal of this team is to bring significant, coordinated resources to address violent crime in the Southwest Missouri area, including federal prosecution.Please note that a video of the press conference, B-roll of the operation, and photos will be available after the event on DVIDS, which is free to join but requires an account. If interested, please use the link to register an account. https://www.dvidshub.net/member/ registration.Attached is a breakdown of the operation.Operation Take Back AmericaThis case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.The charges contained in any charging document are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.Total agencies involved18Federal indictments85Defendants charged federally101Total firearms seized during investigations/arrests141Federal firearms cases charged49Federal narcotic cases charged23Combined firearm and narcotic cases charged19Federal sex offense cases charged9Cocaine seized during investigations11.21 lbs.Fentanyl seized during investigations1.51 lbs.Marijuana seized during investigations204.89 lbs.Methamphetamine seized during investigations88.14 lbs.Psilocyn seized during investigations2.06 lbs.