Operation New Day Ends in Fort Worth: 141 Charged, 35 Firearms, 45 Kilos of Meth and 22 Kilos of Cocaine Seized
Federal officials announced the operation's conclusion Monday — ten weeks, from Aug. 25 to Nov. 5, of a joint federal, state and local push that also took more than 100 grams of fentanyl and 41 machinegun conversion devices off Fort Worth's streets.
FORT WORTH — A ten-week federal public safety operation in Fort Worth has ended with 141 people charged, federal officials announced Monday. Operation New Day ran from Aug. 25 to Nov. 5, and its announced totals describe the scale of what it was aimed at: 35 firearms seized, more than 100 grams of fentanyl, more than 45 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 22 kilograms of cocaine. "In two and a half months, Operation New Day took 141 criminal offenders off the streets of Fort Worth," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. "These are drug traffickers, armed felons, people who exploit children, and others who put our neighbors at risk."
The firearms side of the ledger ran through the ATF, which charged 15 defendants with federal firearms offenses and seized 41 machinegun conversion devices — the small parts that convert a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon, and that officials described as posing an extreme threat to communities and to the officers who police them. The fugitive side ran through the U.S. Marshals Service's North Texas Fugitive Task Force. "We are on the streets shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal, state, and local partners, every single day serving the citizens of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, and that will never stop," Acting U.S. Marshal Sean Malecha said. "Our message is simple: if you are on our list, we will find you and ensure you face justice in the Northern District of Texas." HSI Dallas, under acting Special Agent in Charge Antwoine Jones, and the DEA, under Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker, were the other named federal partners; Tucker framed the target as "the criminal networks behind drug trafficking."
Monday's announcement closes the operation, not the cases: the 141 charged face prosecution in the Northern District of Texas, and charges are allegations until they are proven. What the announcement establishes is the shape of the federal presence Fort Worth has had this fall — a named, dated, multi-agency operation, run jointly with state and local partners, aimed at the west side of the Metroplex's drug and gun traffic. Raybould closed with the only forward statement any of the officials made: "Our work doesn't end with this operation. We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who threatens our communities in North Texas."
