BY ABQ RAW staff
POSTED 09/20/2023 @ 12:35PM
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 4,455 violent fugitives during the latest
phase of its high-impact fugitive apprehension initiative, dubbed Operation North Star III (ONS
III). ONS III targeted violent offenders in 20 cities and resulted in the clearance of 2,818 violent
warrants, to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and firearms violations.
During this 3-month enforcement effort, investigators also seized 555 firearms, more
than $1 million in United States currency, and 85 kilograms of illegal narcotics.
The primary jurisdictions of ONS III were Albuquerque; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York;
Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi;
Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New
York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.
“Together with our law enforcement partners across the country, the Justice Department is
zeroing in on the violent fugitives responsible for the greatest crime in our communities,” said
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The U.S. Marshals Service conducted Operation North
Star III to target the most violent criminals, and together with state and local law enforcement
arrested over 4,400 fugitives across 20 cities in just three months.”
“Operation North Star (ONS) is an evidence-based strategy that targets the drivers of violence in our communities,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis. “ONS is part of the
Attorney General’s violent crime reduction strategy, and its success is based on community
partnerships and collaboration with our local and state law enforcement partners. I want to thank the outstanding work of the women and men of the USMS and our partnering law enforcement agencies. Together with the community, these efforts have contributed to successful violence reduction efforts in ONS cities.”
During ONS III, the United States Marshals Service-Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team
affected 244 physical arrests (with multiple warrants), including 32 firearms seized/recovered,
472 rounds of ammunition, 65 stolen motor vehicles recovered, $5,374.00 seized and 1.374 kg of illegal narcotics seized. Partnering agencies include the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, the New Mexico Department of Corrections-Probation & Parole, the Albuquerque Police
Department, the New Mexico State Police, the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the
Torrance County Sheriffs Office and the Department of Homeland Security.
“The results of this joint operation show true results in suppressing the destructive and ongoing crimes being committed by violent felons in our community,” said Sonya K. Chavez, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico. “The United States Marshals Service, along with our partners, is committed to continuing to bring resources to New Mexico to address important issues like this that affect the quality of life of our citizens,” she added.
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of the residents of Bernalillo County is our utmost priority.
This operation, and the successful collaboration with the U.S. Marshals and our partner agencies, underscores our unwavering commitment to removing violent offenders from our streets and restoring a sense of security in our communities. The dedication and tenacity of our officers, combined with the valuable community support, are key to these ongoing successes. We are grateful to be part of an initiative that truly makes a difference and look forward to continued collaboration in the future.” – Sheriff John Allen, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.