Southeast Texas operation targeting violent fugitives leads to 351 arrests, seizure of more than $4.3 million
92 of the individuals arrested during the operation were documented gang members
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Corpus Christi, and various other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies recently announced the results of “Operation Triple Beam – Third Coast”, an annual multi-agency law enforcement operation led by the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force.
The operation, which ran from April 7 – Sept. 30, targeted violent fugitives including documented gang members and other firearms-related offenders in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas.
This year’s operation resulted 351 arrests, including the arrest of 92 documented gang members, and the seizure of 86 firearms, 32.971 kilograms of narcotics and more than $4.3 million in U.S. currency.
- 351 overall arrests
- 92 gang members arrested
- 86 firearms seized
- 32.971 kilograms of narcotics seized
- $4,360,968 in U.S. currency seized
Among the notable arrests included 11 individuals wanted for homicide/capital murder, 74 for assault, 68 for weapons offenses, 21 for robbery, 135 for drug offenses, 28 for burglary, 29 for sex offenses, and five for arson.
“The number one priority for all law enforcement agencies is to keep the public safe,” said Brad Scott, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Corpus Christi. “By coming together in a common mission with our law enforcement partners in the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force to achieve this goal, we are able to pool our resources and more efficiently and effectively remove threats to public safety from the community.”
“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,” said U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas T. Michael O’Connor. “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. I am extremely proud of all our law enforcement partners who have worked so diligently these past several months.”
Participating agencies in Operation Triple Beam included: USMS; HSI Corpus Christi; Corpus Christi Police Department; Corpus Christi Independent School District Police; Nueces County Sheriff’s Office; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Office of Inspector General; Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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