St. Louis – A new St. Louis Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force (OCDETF) Gateway Strike Force is combatting drug traffickers and
violent criminals on both sides of the Mississippi River, Adam Cohen of the DOJ
OCDETF Executive Office, U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft in the Southern District
of Illinois (SDIL), and U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen in the Eastern District of
Missouri (EDMO) announced today.
The St. Louis OCDETF Gateway Strike Force represents an
incredible investigative force to address major drug trafficking organizations,
gangs and associated violence, including murders, in the St. Louis Metropolitan
Region. The Strike Force brings together
under one roof federal investigative agencies including the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA), the St. Louis Field Office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States
Marshals Service (USMS), United States Postal Investigation Service (USPIS),
the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations (IRS), and the United
States Secret Service (USSS) along with State and local law enforcement offices
including the St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis City Police
Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Charles County Police
Department, St. Charles City Police Department, Chesterfield Police Department,
Manchester Police Department, Webster Groves Police Department, Woodson Terrace
Police Department, and the Missouri National Guard.
A satellite office located in Illinois will include members
of the DEA, FBI Springfield, Illinois State Police, and the aforementioned
agency partners along with prosecutors from the SDIL and the EDMO who will
pursue criminal charges in federal court.
Although the Strike Force is designed to generate federal prosecutions,
it is anticipated that some Strike Force cases will be suitable for prosecution
in state courts in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The ongoing cooperation of the Circuit
Attorney’s Office of the City of St. Louis and the Office of the Prosecuting
Attorney of St. Louis County is a significant and appreciated factor in the
Strike Force’s ongoing efforts.
This unique entity brings to bear the investigative
experience and expertise of these various law enforcement agencies and equips
them with additional resources to investigate and dismantle, through federal
and state prosecution, criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, murders,
other acts of violence, and other criminal activity.
The Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task
Forces, Adam Cohen, wanted to be here to celebrate the announcement of this
newest OCDETF Strike Force, but the restrictions related to the current public
health crisis prevented his traveling to St. Louis from Washington. He released the following statement:
“The OCDETF co-located Strike Forces Initiative provides for
the establishment of permanent prosecutor-led, multi-agency task force teams
that work side-by-side in the same office space where they partner to conduct
intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets
and their illicit financial networks.
With the addition of the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force, OCDETF now has
19 Strike Forces operating throughout the country.
“The OCDETF Program is the keystone of the U.S. Attorney
General’s strategy to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics throughout
our nation using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to combat
transnational organized crime. The role
of OCDETF is to facilitate joint operations by focusing its partners on
priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by
leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
“The St. Louis Gateway OCDETF Strike Force is a joint effort
led by the United States Attorneys in the Eastern District of Missouri and the
Southern District of Illinois. This
newest OCDETF Strike Force features agents from at least seven federal agencies
and two state and local law enforcement agencies. These U.S. Attorneys’ offices are working
together, across state lines and judicial districts, in a regional approach to
combat criminal organizations and the violence they inflict on the community. Criminals do not recognize state boundaries
or county lines and neither will we.
“As illicit drug production, transportation, and
distribution continue to plague our nation and the safety of our citizens,
OCDETF remains the targeting, coordination, and intelligence platform for
combatting high-level drug trafficking and its attendant violent crime.
“It is a privilege to acknowledge the multi-agency effort
demonstrated today by the announcement of the opening of the St. Louis Gateway
OCDETF Strike Force. This new Strike
Force team doesn’t just join 18 other Strike Forces, it joins the largest
anti-crime task force in the country – OCDETF is made up of over 550 federal
prosecutors, 2,000 federal agents, 40,000 state and local law enforcement officers
from almost 1,200 police agencies, and an intelligence fusion center.”
In conclusion, Mr. Cohen stated that, “I offer my sincerest
congratulations to U.S. Attorneys Jeff Jensen and Steve Weinhoeft as they
formally open the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force which will serve and protect
the community for years to come with a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to
combating the command and control elements of organized criminal networks.”
Chief Jon Belmar, St. Louis County Police Department, stated
that, “This Strike Force designation will provide additional resources as our
Law Enforcement community works together to provide a safer St. Louis region.
Removing the most violent criminals from our streets is our top priority, and I
am proud of the collaboration that exists between Local Law Enforcement, our
Federal partners and the United States Attorney’s Office. Congratulations to
all who have worked so diligently to move this forward in the effort of a safer
St. Louis.”
“Mark Twain once famously described the Mississippi River as
a ‘lawless stream’ that cannot be tamed. Today, the challenge we face isn’t the
water itself but the flow of illegal drugs that cross the river each day. That
flow of illegal drugs fuels violence, overdoses, addiction, and countless other
societal harms. We remain committed to disrupting and dismantling drug
trafficking organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and through the
formation of this joint strike force, we now have important new resources at
our disposal to stem the tide,” stated U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft, U.S.
Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Illinois.
Jensen stated that, “The new Strike Force will have a major
impact in reducing the trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and
other drugs throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area and the Midwest. The Strike Force is a powerful tool to target
those organizations involved in many of the murders and other violent acts in
our region. These groups are organized,
compartmentalized, secretive, and often ruthless. Therefore, it takes a powerful tool, a Strike
Force, to dismantle these predatory organizations.”
Jensen extended his thanks to Attorney General William Barr
and the DOJ OCDETF Executive Office for designating St. Louis as a Strike Force
location.
Jensen further stated, “I am particularly honored to
formalize our Gateway Strike Force partnership with our counterparts in the
Southern District of Illinois. Steve
Weinhoeft, federal prosecutors, and officers and agents in the Southern
District are strong and effective law enforcement partners. Organized and violent drug traffickers do not
recognize state lines. Our combined
resources will enable us to dismantle criminal organizations that impact both
sides of the river.”
ST. LOUIS JOINS OCDETF STRIKE FORCES NATIONWIDE
The Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Drug
Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) oversees the Strike Force initiative. St.
Louis joins OCDETF Strike Forces in major cities including Atlanta, Baltimore,
Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles,
New York, North Texas, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, San Juan, Southeast
Michigan, and Tampa.
MISSION: DISRUPT, DISMANTLE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS
The goal of the Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle criminal
organizations, including gangs, cartels, and others that are trafficking in
drugs and firearms, or engaging in money laundering.
Participating agencies have agreed to assign full-time
personnel to the Strike Force. Police officers, federal agents, and prosecutors
are working together under one roof. For security reasons, the location will
not be made public.
An FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge and a DEA Assistant
Special Agent in Charge manage the Strike Force’s teams: a major crime squad, a
major threat squad, and a fugitive squad. A Strike Force Executive Council,
whose members include both U.S. Attorneys, will oversee the Strike Force.
CASES FILED
Some of the law enforcement agencies comprising The St.
Louis OCDETF Gateway Strike Force started working together over the last
several years as a prelude to the formation of the Strike Force. Examples of their work include:
U.S. v. Velazquez, et al: Thirty-four defendants were
indicted for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy or
related offenses. Agents seized
approximately $1.3 million dollars, and more than sixty kilograms of
cocaine. The indictment alleges that
members of the organization committed multiple murders as part of the drug
trafficking enterprise. Prosecutors are
seeking the death penalty against one of the members of the organization
alleged to have been involved in murders.
Many of the defendants in this case have pled guilty in federal court.
U.S. v. Goolsby, et al: Fifteen defendants were indicted in
this drug trafficking conspiracy involving the seizure of approximately 25
kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of heroin, 3 kilograms of fentanyl and over
$2,000,000 in currency.
U.S. v. Starr, et al: Nine defendants were indicted in a
multi-kilogram methamphetamine conspiracy.
Investigators seized approximately 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine as
well as quantities of cocaine, over $50,000 in currency and two firearms.
U.S. v. Johnson, et al: Approximately twenty-one defendants
were indicted for their various roles in the trafficking of heroin and fentanyl
in and around the Peabody Housing Complex just south of downtown St.
Louis. Investigators seized
approximately 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, 9 ounces of fentanyl, 27 firearms, and
approximately $70,000.00. The indictment
alleges that the members of the conspiracy committed a homicide and are
responsible for two overdose deaths.
Many of the defendants (approximately 15) have pled guilty in federal
court.
The charges contained in these indictments are simply
accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be
presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or
innocence.
The prosecutions announced in this release were brought as a
part of the Department of Justice’s OCDETF Co-located Strike Forces Initiative
or as the prelude to the designation of the Strike Force. The Strike Force will build upon this work
and bring even more resources to bear in identifying and dismantling other
large criminal organizations involved in the flow of drugs to our community and
associated murders and other violence.
The Strike Force, which provides for the establishment of permanent
multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location, will
only strengthen successful prelude partnerships. This co-located model enables
agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven,
multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and
their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led, co-located
Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term
relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who
remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most
effective in combating organized crime.
OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive,
multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations
and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s illicit drug reduction
strategy. The principal mission of the
OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug
trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money
laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public
safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
STATEMENTS FROM PARTNERS
Agency officials who are working with the Strike Force made
the following statements:
FBI Special Agent in Charge, Springfield, Illinois Division,
Sean M. Cox stated, "The Springfield Division of the FBI is proud to
collaborate with FBI St. Louis as well as our federal and state law enforcement
partners to combat the most prolific criminals operating between St. Louis and
East St. Louis. It is only by way of
focused law enforcement operations and prosecutorial relationships that we can
make a positive impact in our communities and hold these criminals accountable
for their actions."
"This Gateway Strike Force will use increased funding
and expanded partnerships to target violent gangs engaged in drug trafficking,
homicides, carjackings, and armed robberies," said Special Agent in Charge
Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division. "By joining forces with our
brethren across the river, it will also make it much more difficult for
criminals to exploit geographic and jurisdictional boundaries to evade
justice."
“The St. Louis Gateway OCDETF Strike Force will place a
special emphasis on the region’s most serious drug and drug violence threats,”
said Special Agent in Charge William Callahan, head of the DEA St. Louis
Division. “The DEA will bring
significant investigative resources, in collaboration with our federal, state,
and local law enforcement partners to target the command and control of drug
trafficking organizations in the St. Louis Metro and worldwide. We expect the
Gateway Strike Force to identify and seize drug-related assets associated with
these criminal networks for a well-rounded, targeted approach to their
dismantlement.”
Katherine Greer, Homeland Security Investigations Special
Agent in Charge, Kansas City stated, “The creation of the St. Louis Strike
Force provides a collaborative effort, serving as a force multiplier to
effectively protect the public, by targeting the command structure of major
international criminal organizations.
HSI brings a unique expertise to combatting violent crime utilizing over
400 federal statutes involving narcotics smuggling, weapons violations, money
laundering and immigration enforcement.”
“Our citizens have heard me say on numerous occasions that
at least 50% of our City’s homicides and gun violence is drug-related; not to
mention the fact that drug overdoses in our City have ravaged through our
community as well. The Drug Strike Force
will be a regional effort which promises to have a meaningful impact on the
City’s gun violence and overdose rate. I am thankful for the opportunity to
participate on the Strike Force and I am looking forward to reaping the
benefits of its presence in our region,” stated Police Commissioner John
Hayden, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
“The United States Marshals Service serves as the United
States Government’s primary fugitive investigation and apprehension
agency. As a charter agency within the
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Marshals Service stands ready
to help the Strike Force destabilize and disrupt the most serious crime
organizations through joint and collaborative fugitive investigations. The Marshals Service in St. Louis has a
dedicated group of Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers embedded at the
St. Louis Gateway Strike Force as a fugitive team. Leveraging the 94 Marshals Service district
offices across the country, and proud 230-year history of the U.S. Marshals,
this fugitive team will support the Strike Force in investigating, locating,
and apprehending the country’s most serious fugitives. We are proud to be a partner agency in this
endeavor and commend the work of the United States Attorney’s Office and all
other partner agencies that make up the OCDETF Strike Force,” stated John
Jordan, United States Marshal, Eastern District of Missouri.
Postal Inspector in Charge Bill Hedrick, of the Chicago
Division Postal Inspection Service, St. Louis Field Office, stated, “The United
States Postal Inspection Service proudly partners with the agencies involved in
the task force to better coordinate investigations. These relationships facilitate communication
and data sharing that enable the identification of drug trafficking
organizations, which would not be possible without interagency cooperation. This allows the Postal Inspection Service to
advance its mission to enforce the laws that defend the nation’s mail, and
protect the American public from criminal drug and gang activity which destroys
so many lives.”
Karl Stiften, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in
Charge, stated, “IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI) is a proud participant of the
St. Louis OCDETF Strike Force. CI
special agents contribute our financial investigative skills to track and seize
proceeds of illegal activities from the criminals involved. Pooling the skills
and resources of each agency makes a formidable team.”
“The United States Secret Service is proud to join forces
with our local, state, and federal partners as a member of the St. Louis
Gateway OCDETF Strike Force. This
collaboration will serve to strengthen our capabilities to directly target
major international criminal organizations operating in the St. Louis
metropolitan area and around the world,” stated Thomas Landry, Special Agent in
Charge, U.S. Secret Service - St. Louis Field Office.
Chief Kurt Frisz of the St. Charles County Police Department
stated, “The St. Charles County Police Department has long valued interagency
collaborations and we are happy to support this initiative. The Strike Force
will play a vital role in dismantling the very complex and transient criminal
networks that are plaguing our region, which will increase our ability to solve
heinous crimes that have threatened the community’s sense of peace.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment