CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WLOS) — A three-month, multi-jurisdictional enforcement surge called “Operation Spring Cleaning” netted big results for all the agencies involved, and among those were the Asheville Police Department and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
According to a June 1 news release from United States Attorney Russ Ferguson, these were the results of the operation:
- 157 fugitives apprehended on state and federal charges throughout the region
- 56 defendants charged federally
- Over 254 kilograms of drugs seized, including more than 22 kilograms of fentanyl
- 110 illegal firearms recovered
The operation targeted violent offenders, drug traffickers, armed felon, and fugitives responsible for distributing deadly drugs, driving gun violence and increasing crime across district and state lines, the release said.
“We usually see increased violent crime and drug crimes during the summer – this operation was meant to get ahead of that and get the worst offenders off the streets before they can recruit others to their life of street crime this summer,” said Ferguson in the release. “We all know criminals don’t respect district or state lines, and that is why this coordinated effort involved multiple agencies in North and South Carolina. We wanted to make clear you cannot commit a crime in North Carolina and escape across the state line to avoid getting caught.”…