(The Center Square) – Gov. Jeff Landry said Wednesday that Louisiana has partnered with multiple federal agencies to disrupt violent gang activity in Baton Rouge, resulting in more than 100 arrests and the seizure of thousands of grams of deadly drugs.
“This started last year, when I asked Gov. Landry, I’m drowning … I need federal help,” East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said at a Wednesday morning press conference.
Landry said the effort builds on federal coordination used in New Orleans.
“The terrorist attack in New Orleans showed me the ability to bring federal forces to bear,” Landry said. “When you’re able to tie in those federal resources – the FBI with state police, with the Baton Rouge Police Department, with the sheriff’s office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service – it is historic. When we take bold action we see these results.”
The joint operation resulted in 106 arrests, the seizure of nearly 700 grams of fentanyl, 4,000 grams of cocaine, as well as heroin and methamphetamine. More than 100 firearms were confiscated, including pistols, long rifles, machine guns and 32 machine gun converters.
“We’ve buried far too many people as a result of these drugs,” Landry said. “These are deadly drugs that are impacting this city.”
Louisiana ranked fifth in opioid overdose deaths in 2022, with 54.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Authorities said the operation targeted four north Baton Rouge neighborhoods known for gang activity. Gangs named in the investigation include the Vultures, Bleedists, 60 Gang and BBG Gang. Members have been linked to murders, robberies and drug trafficking, according to Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office.
Crime in Baton Rouge has fallen since last year, with calls for violent incidents down 21%, burglary down 4.7% and homicide down 11.5%.
Mayor Sid Edwards attended the press conference but did not speak. Landry thanked him briefly, but focused his remarks on federal coordination.
The initiatives, dubbed “Operation Broken Carousel” and “Operation Summer Heat,” used undercover officers and sting operations. One officer was injured and others were robbed, officials said.
“Governor Landry huddled us in mid-April and wanted to see a focused violent crime reduction strategy that would focus on shooters, gang members and people dealing in narcotics,” said ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson.
He said agents used trace data and other intelligence “to identify shooters and individuals dealing narcotics … to do focused proactive undercover operations.”
“These undercover ops are very dangerous and very risky, and we take that on in all regards to push for public safety,” Jackson said.
He added the Baton Rouge operation mirrored similar strategies in New Orleans, and Landry said he intends to expand the model statewide.
