CLEVELAND — A total of 59 people have been arrested and charged as more than 240 firearms were seized in what authorities are calling a "summer violent crime reduction initiative in the city of Cleveland.”
U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko said these suspects were allegedly engaged in illegally trafficking firearms, illegally selling drugs, using firearms to commit other drug crimes and illegally possessing firearms.
Of the more than 240 guns that were seized, Lutzko said 203 were obtained when law enforcement purchased the weapons from illegal sellers. She said a significant number of the guns purchased during this investigation are connected to violent criminal activity -- including homicides and felonious assaults -- that took place in Cleveland and surrounding suburbs in 2022 and 2023.
The firearms also include 17 ghost guns, which Lutzko described as “unserialized and untraceable firearms that are typically assembled at home.”
Details of the initiative were announced during a press conference Tuesday afternoon, which you can watch in full below.
In one case, Lutzko said law enforcement purchased more than 50 firearms from a group of seven people working together to sell the weapons on Cleveland streets.
“Many of these sales took place in public in parking lots of businesses during business hours or in recreational areas," Lutzko said.
ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach said 46 of the guns were linked to 102 shooting incidents, including 11 homicides.
“Just one of these crime guns was tied to 14 different shootings," Dettelbach said.
He also vowed to take more criminals off the streets.
“We’re not done. Not by a long shot," Dettelbach continued. "ATF and everybody here is going to continue to stand with you and to make sure that we protect and respect the rights of peaceful, law-abiding Clevelanders – their rights – to live in peace and free from harm without having to worry about a hail of gunfire when they’re doing things that every person has a right to expect that they can do without fearing for their lives.”
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb was at Tuesday's briefing and added the below statement.
Tuesday's press conference comes as the summer months brought concerns of rising crimes throughout the city. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine came to the city last month to discuss plans to combat crime through a "surge initiative" plan that combines resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to target "known criminal hot spots."
"Also during this investigation, the ATF identified 5 individuals who were actively engaged in a conspiracy to conduct a home invasion and rob, at gunpoint, what they believed to be a 'stash house' containing several kilograms of cocaine," authorities explained. "Law enforcement intervened before these individuals could carry out their plan. Additionally, during this investigation, law enforcement purchased or seized almost 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, 215 grams of cocaine base, almost 3 kilograms of methamphetamine, 686 fentanyl pills, almost 1.5 kilograms of heroin/fentanyl mix, and 1,144 MDMA pills (otherwise known as Molly or Ecstasy)."
You can read full details of the investigation -- including a breakdown of the charges -- by exploring the document below...
"The Justice Department’s work to disrupt and dismantle the criminal gun trafficking pipelines that flood our communities with illegal guns has never been more urgent than it is now,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement following the DOJ briefing. “That is why our prosecutors and agents are working more closely than ever before with our local law enforcement partners to get illegal guns off of our streets and hold accountable those who put illegal guns in the hands of violent criminals.”
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