Twenty “violent criminals” were arrested, dozens of firearms were confiscated, and large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl were seized during a recent five-week law enforcement operation by the FBI and Pueblo Police Department.
The operation led by the FBI Southern Colorado Safe Streets Task Force and its local partners focused on finding fugitives and apprehending violent criminals, FBI Denver Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Leonard Carollo said during a Sept. 10 news conference.
“As part of the FBI Operation Summer Heat, we have worked together to remove guns and illegal drugs from the community and make these neighborhoods safe,” Carollo said.
“During this operation, we arrested 20 violent criminals and removed 42 firearms from the community. We confiscated just under 3 pounds of cocaine, almost 4 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 19 pounds of fentanyl. That amount of fentanyl is equivalent to over 107,000 pills — that’s almost one fentanyl pill for every resident of the city of Pueblo. And to quote my friends from the DEA, one pill can kill.”
FBI Denver Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Leonard Carollo speaks during a news conference concerning an operation led by the FBI Southern Colorado Safe Streets Task Force and local partners.
He said the FBI partnered with federal, state and local agencies for the operation, with over 40 law enforcement personnel involved, including an FBI Violent Crime Rapid Deployment Team.
“This was a coordinated, intelligence-driven surge of resources that led to arrests and will lead to indictments and prosecutions of the individuals responsible,” Carollo said. “All of us here today are focused on ending violent crime in our communities and keeping people safe.”
Carollo said the participating agencies targeted some of the most violent offenders in the Pueblo community, “whether they were individual actors, or coordinated efforts, or groups.”
“We went after who we wanted to go after, and then we had fugitives who we also rounded up,” he said.
Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller said the operation “delivered a significant blow to violent crime and drug trafficking in our community.”
Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller speaks during a news conference about a five-week law enforcement operation led by the FBI Southern Colorado Safe Streets Task Force and local partners.
“This operation was made possible through our extraordinary cooperation of our partners, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, the 10th Judicial District DA’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Noeller said.
“Together, we sent a clear message when it comes to protecting Pueblo, we will bring every resource to bear, and we will not stop until our neighborhoods are safer. These arrests and seizures — seizures are not just numbers; they represent safer streets, safer schools and safer families. Puebloans deserve to live free from the violence and destruction caused by drug trafficking and armed criminals.
“Let me be clear, this is not the end. This is one step in an ongoing fight,” Noeller said. “We will continue to pursue those who bring violence and drugs into our community, and we will continue to stand with our federal, state and local partners to keep Pueblo safe. Know this: If you commit these crimes, and this is the life choice you make, we’re coming for you.”
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Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 20 arrests made, pounds of drugs seized in Pueblo police operation