Law enforcement officials arrested another three people Tuesday night and Wednesday morning as part of an operation targeting drug and gun crimes in the northeastern corner of the Arkansas Delta.
Authorities unsealed 40 federal indictments charging 70 people Tuesday. By 2 p.m. Tuesday, 50 people -- mostly residents of Blytheville -- had been arrested by a local, state and federal law enforcement task force. Those arrested were charged with various drug and gun crimes, including methamphetamine distribution, crack distribution and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The operation, called Blynd Justus, was announced by Chris Thyer, the U.S. attorney for eastern Arkansas, during a news conference Tuesday in Blytheville.
Fifty-three of the 70 people indicted on federal charges now have been arrested.
Another indicted person is in a Memphis hospital but not in custody yet, said Chris Givens, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. The person already was in the hospital before Tuesday's sweep.
"The 16 [federal] fugitives have all been entered in a national database," Givens said. "Literally, every law enforcement agency is looking for them."
The indictments were handed up by a federal grand jury Aug. 5.
Those arrested Tuesday and Wednesday were transported to state facilities where they await an arraignment this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe.
Eleven of the people indicted already were in state custody Tuesday morning. They will be arraigned Aug. 27.
Tuesday's operation was the culmination of an 18-month investigation. The investigation partnered the FBI with the 2nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, which includes officers from the Blytheville and Osceola police departments and the Mississippi County sheriff's office.
Several other state and federal agencies assisted in the investigation and Tuesday's operation, including 150 members of the Arkansas State Police. About 575 law enforcement officers, including more than 300 tactical officers, served the arrest warrants.
The investigation began in 2013. Between January 2014 and this June, agents with the FBI and 2nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force coordinated 167 controlled purchases of drugs and firearms from the 70 people indicted.
More than 19 pounds of methamphetamine and 89 illegally possessed firearms were purchased from those indicted during the investigation.
The indicted include 57 people from Blytheville, four from Osceola, three from Luxora, two from Gosnell, and one each from Joiner, Leachville and Paragould. The operation also included an indictment of a person from Steele, Mo.
"The idea is to give the people of Blytheville some peace for a period of time," Givens said. "How long that period of time is depends on a lot of factors, but we certainly got a good percentage of bad guys off of the streets. When you take that many criminals out of a small community, it's going to help without question. The only question is how long is it going to help.
"We don't believe that this means that the drug and gun problem is over in Blytheville. We do believe that there will be less drug and gun problems for a period of time. We obviously hope it's a long period of time."
Metro on 08/13/2015