Authorities have announced the arrest of 742 suspected gang members and drug dealers across Louisiana as part of an effort to crackdown on drugs that enter Louisiana that are tied to Mexican cartels. State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges says this announcement should serve as a strong message to those involved in gang activity or violent crime.
“The message is very clear to those out there: You commit crimes, we’re going to find you, and we’re going to bring you to justice,” Hodges said.
Nearly 500 of the arrests occurred in the Alexandria and Shreveport areas, 369 were in the Alexandria area. Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood says illegal drugs are constantly moving through central Louisiana because of I-49.
“Just last week, if you all have seen, due to this deal, we got a 10-pound lick of fentanyl in Alexandria. I-49 opened up through there. That kind of opened up a runaway between I-10 and I-20. So right now, central Louisiana is almost like a hub,” Wood explained.
The U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Louisiana, Zachary Keller, it will be his office that prosecutes many of these cases. He highlighted one of the cases out of Shreveport.
“We indicted Willie Baker in Caddo Parish, who, when he was arrested, had two kilos of meth, three kilos of suspected fentanyl and a gun, after being charged with distributing fencing all that resulted in a death. He’s looking at a 15-year mandatory minimum,” Keller said.
The crackdown began in October and led to the recovery of 176 firearms statewide, more than 15 kilograms of fentanyl, more than 2,000 fentanyl pills, 44 kilograms of meth and 20 kilograms of cocaine.