U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announced on Friday that by local and federal law enforcement officers have made 97 arrests in less than two weeks since the launch of Operation LeGend in the Kansas City, Missouri area.
From July 15 to July 31, new federal charges have been filed against 11 defendants. Nine of these defendants have been charged with illegally possessing firearms, one person was charged with drug trafficking, and one defendant was charged with carjacking.
Among the remaining 88 arrests, 49 were fugitives with either state or federal warrants for their arrest. The remaining 39 non-fugitive arrests were referred for prosecution in state court. Five arrests were for homicides. Other offenses cited in the arrests included assault, drug trafficking, illegally possessing firearms, robbery, child molestation, and sexual assault.
In addition to the arrests, agents and officers seized 35 firearms, a total of nearly three kilograms of methamphetamine, hundreds of pills (including Oxycontin and ecstasy), heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and nearly $40,000 in cash.
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020.