United States Drug Enforcement Administration

TOPEKA, Kans. – For 10 days in March, the U.S. Marshals and Topeka Police, working with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners, conducted an operation designed to reduce violent crime and drug activity in and around Topeka, resulting in 258 arrests.

Operation Frontier Justice was conducted in partnership with the Topeka Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, Kansas Department of Corrections, Shawnee County Department of Corrections, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In addition to the 258 arrests, 16 of which were gang members, the operation resulted in the seizure of 24 firearms, nearly 19 kilograms of narcotics to include marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin and $25,000 in U.S. currency.

Operation Frontier Justice was conducted by utilizing strategies derived from the U.S. Marshals counter-gang model. These strategies include the targeting and arrest of violent fugitives, gang members and criminal offenders who have committed violent crimes such as homicide, shooting into dwellings, felony assault and sexual assault, illegal possession of firearms, illegal drug distribution, and robbery. Each federal, state and local agency uses its individual specialized enforcement techniques and statutory authority to disrupt the criminal operations of violent street gangs and career criminal offenders in Topeka and surrounding areas.

Developed by the U.S. Marshals, Operation Frontier Justice is a national initiative to reduce gang violence and violent crime in American cities. This is accomplished by targeting and arresting violent fugitives, gang members and criminal offenders who have committed violent crimes such as homicide, shooting into dwellings, felony assault and sexual assault, illegal possession of firearms, illegal drug distribution, and robbery. Each federal, state and local agency uses its individual specialized enforcement techniques and statutory authority to disrupt the criminal operations of violent street gangs and career criminal offenders in Topeka and surrounding areas.