The U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday that 262 suspects were arrested and five missing children were recovered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, after a two-month-long anti-gang operation.
“Operation Triple Beam OKC was a targeted enforcement initiative by the Marshals and their partners to address violent crime in and around Oklahoma City,” said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma Johnny Kuhlman to news outlets. “Our primary goal with operations like OTB is to make communities safer. When we arrest these violent fugitives, we are also removing guns and narcotics from our streets. We believe these efforts have an immediate, positive impact on the communities we serve.”
Meanwhile, five children were located and recovered as part of the operation, the U.S. Marshals said.
Also, 72 firearms, 9 kilograms of narcotics, and about $17,000 in cash was recovered, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals also listed several prominent individuals who were arrested.
Pablo Robledo was arrested on July 31 after he escaped from the Oklahoma County Detention Center, officials said, adding that he is a known Surenos gang member awaiting murder charges. They added that Dkwon Littlejohn, a known Rollin 60’s Crip gang member, was arrested in Spence on July 27.
The agency also said Chasady and Charles Hall, both Dungee Crip gang members, were arrested Aug. 12 in Midwest City, saying they are accused of kidnapping their children from a daycare in Oklahoma City.
Several weeks ago, the agency announced the recovery of 39 endangered children in Georgia.
“When we track down fugitives, it’s a good feeling to know that we’re putting the bad guy behind bars. But that sense of accomplishment is nothing compared to finding a missing child,” the U.S. Marshals Service said of the operation last month. “It’s hard to put into words what we feel when we rescue a missing child, but I can tell you that this operation has impacted every single one of us out here. We are working to protect them and get them the help they need.”
Another mission led to the discovery of about 25 children ages 13 through 18 in Ohio, officials said.
“These are kids that have been abused, neglected. Some involved in human trafficking. Sometimes the situations they—they go to, believe it or not, may be better than the situations they left from,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said of the mission, known as “Operation Safety Net.”
“We’ve had some cases where the mother and or father, or both, may have been prostituting their own child,” he added.
