During a Tuesday news conference, U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer said 50 people were arrested Tuesday on federal firearm and drug trafficking charges as part of Operation Blynd Justus.
That number includes 11 individuals who were already in state custody. Twenty people are described by law enforcement officials as fugitives.
Seventy people have been indicted in the major investigation into drug and gun crimes in Mississippi County.
Tuesday's operation was the third in Mississippi County that the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District has been involved in since 2013.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Givens said more than 550 law enforcement officials began rounding up suspects in and around Blytheville early Tuesday morning.
The 70 people are charged in 40 federal indictments that stem from a two-year probe into gun and drug trafficking in the area, Givens said in a statement.
"The arrests that were carried out today show our unwavering determination to disrupt violent gang activity and dismantle illegal sales of firearms and drugs in our state," David T. Resch, special agent in charge of the Little Rock field office of the FBI, said in a statement.
From January 2014 to June of this year, agents with the FBI and Second Judicial District Drug Task Force coordinated more than 160 controlled purchases of drugs or firearms, according to authorities. The purchases represented about 19 pounds of methamphetamine and 89 illegal firearms.
During the news conference Tuesday, law enforcement said a "majority" of the 70 individuals, most of who are Blytheville residents, are convicted felons.
In addition to arrest warrants served Tuesday, the IRS served two search warrants at properties owned by an individual who has not been indicted, according to a statement.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
