Through the so-called Operation Hurricane, which was launched a couple of months ago, Florida authorities dealt a hard blow to organized crime, illegal weapons trafficking and drugs.

In May, the Miami Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), together with the Department of Justice, launched a strengthened law enforcement initiative aimed at combating violent crime, drug possession and illegal firearms trafficking throughout South Florida.

To achieve this objective, the ATF collaborated with federal and local law enforcement agencies, providing through several of its outstanding members specialized knowledge in tactical operations, technical support and undercover investigations.

As a result, 38 federal defendants and eight state defendants were arrested. Most of these people reside in Palm Beach County and now face crimes related to firearms and drug trafficking.

As part of “Operation Hurricane” 94 firearms were also seized, including semi-automatic rifles and pistols, along with more than 600 rounds of ammunition.

And to round off the success of the collaborative work, 9.4 kilograms of illegal narcotics were seized, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack and other controlled substances.

During a news conference, Colin M. McDonald, assistant attorney general for the national anti-fraud division, praised the blow to crime.

“We commend the ATF and all of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to bring repeat violent offenders to justice and make our neighborhoods safer,” he said.

For his part, Reding Quiñones, federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida, proposed replicating the aforementioned operation at the national level.

“Operation Hurricane shows the Homeland Security Task Force model in action: federal, state and local law enforcement acting as a single team to identify those responsible for violence and remove illegal weapons and drugs from our streets,” he stressed.

In this regard, Rob Cekada, director of the ATF, supported the approach of replicating the joint work of several federal agencies to reduce crime rates in the rest of the nation.

“ATF-led enforcement operations, such as Operation Hurricane in South Florida, support the White House's strategy against violent crime and the Homeland Security Task Force by focusing our investigative resources on known members of violent gangs, transnational criminal organizations, cartels and other repeat offenders,” he noted.