No state deals with those convicted of drug offenses more harshly than Texas. And no law enforcement agency has more manpower, firepower and funding resources than the federal government.
A recent collaboration between state, city and federal law enforcement agencies resulted in more than 340 arrests on a wide variety of charges, including allegations of drug crimes, assault, robbery and burglary, officials said.
U.S. Marshals and Houston police officers arrested 220 people suspected of gang activities, they said. The arrests were made over a period of several months as part of an operation dubbed “Triple Beam.” The operation was started all the way back in 2010 and has been carried out in 45 cities across the nation. So far, about 6,000 arrests have been made as part of “Triple Beam.”
Part of the anti-gang strategy is to not only arrest and prosecute alleged gang members and their associates, but also to confiscate their assets. Many civil rights advocates have pointed that it can be too easy for law enforcement agencies to seize and keep property including houses, cars, cash and more – sometimes from people who have not even been convicted of a crime.
In the Houston operation, officials said they arrested a number of fugitives in other cases, including “68 assault cases, 44 robberies, 25 burglaries, and approximately 100 narcotics cases.”
Officers also seized more than five dozen firearms, about $60,000 in cash, along with illegal drugs estimated to have a street value of approximately $1 million.
Those arrested face the potential of years behind bars if they are convicted.
If you have been arrested on allegations of manufacture, possession or distribution, contact a criminal defense attorney experienced in drug crimes defense.
