By TOM HENRY
Blytheville Courier News
Well before sunrise Tuesday morning, numerous citizens of Blytheville felt their homes shake as helicopters flew overhead. Even more Blytheville citizens felt a very real martial police presence in the city as they drove to work and saw dozens of police cruisers and unmarked SUVs. Yet, before the day was over, more than fifty violent drug and gun related criminals were arrested, and a lot of law abiding citizens of the community let out a collective sigh of relief as Operation Blynd Justus was executed.
"Beginning at 4:15 a.m. this morning Colonel Bryant and I deployed several hundred Arkansas State Police and FBI tactical operators, investigators, troopers, detectives, and uniformed officers from numerous jurisdictions and states into Mississippi County to execute these arrests. Very brave men and women risked their lives this morning to give the citizens of Mississippi County an opportunity for a better life. And I want to share with you how the citizens of Mississippi County responded. I had citizens coming into the street and applauding our tactical teams. I had men walking up and asking if they could shake the hands of troopers. I had women coming up and crying and saying that this was the answer to their prayers," Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David Resch said in a press conference held at Arkansas Northeastern College today.
Involved in today's massive multi agency collaborate raids, either today or over the course of the previous eighteen months, was the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the U.S. Marshall's, Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Unit from Camp Robinson, the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department, the Blytheville Police Department, the Osceola Police Department, the Southeast Missouri Drug Taskforce and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Chris Thyer's office.
Thyer announced that today was the culmination of an eighteen month operation named Blynd Justus. This morning 574 law enforcement officers from numerous local, state and federal agencies "fanned out across Mississippi County and the Missouri Bootheel" to arrest seventy individuals. These individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury in Little Rock last week and three were sought on state warrants. Eleven of the individuals indicted were already in custody before this morning's raids began. As of 2 p.m., fifty individuals had been arrested and two of the state warrants had been executed.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Resch explained the reason for having so many uniformed officers in today's operations. He also said that there were no shootings today and only one minor injury.
"Well we're dealing with violent criminals and...many of these were violent offenders. There is safety in numbers and a dynamic overwhelming law enforcement force is what is the safest for the subject, for the law enforcement officers and for the citizens in the vicinity of the subject. So we bring as much as we need and then we bring more, that's primarily for safety...With some of our more violent criminals there was the use of flash-bang devices as diversionary techniques prior to effectuating an arrest. Teargas was not used. There were no injuries to suspects. There was an injury to one agent. It was a minor injury and he was treated on the scene and is returning home," Resch said.
Operation Blynd Justus originated when Second Judicial Drug Task Force officers developed sources within the criminal world in and around Blytheville. The Task Force then approached the FBI and requested help. From January 2014 until June of this year, 167 controlled drug purchases were performed and 89 illegally possessed guns were purchased or seized. Most of the handguns, rifles, shotguns and AR styled rifles had previously been reported stolen. In addition to the guns, 19.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamines and 11 ounces of crack cocaine was also bought.
"As of yesterday the street value for meth ice in Blytheville was about $1200 per ounce or $80 per gram. A single gram of meth ice is user amount....to give you some idea of what we're talking about, the street value of purchases exceeded $700,000 from these 70 individuals over the course of eighteen months...Charges in these indictments include conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of both meth and crack, felon in possession of firearms, use of a firearm in the connection with a drug trafficking offense and the use of a phone to facilitate a drug crime. Make no mistake about it. These individuals are extremely dangerous and are in real terms the worst of the worst. We're still compiling the information, but I can tell you that at least sixty of these seventy have previous violent felony convictions to include murder, kidnaping, rape, aggravated assault, battery, and obviously various drug changes and felony possession of firearm charges," Thyer added.
"Today's event culminated after countless hours of hard work mainly put in by the members of the Second Judicial District Mississippi County Unit. I want to make that absolutely clear, six men, two from Blytheville, two from Mississippi County Sheriff's Department and two from Osceola put in much of the ground work and Intel work that led to this today. Obviously we didn't have the local resources for this and we were able to reach out and I think one of the things I want you to understand is that before any of these agencies work with us they have to trust us. They come in, they vet us, and they see what we're about. What do we offer? Who are we? And they found that they could work with us. We offered something. And this community should be proud of what we have accomplished here today in the department and it's not over. Some of these folks are going to leave, they will go back home. But we will still be here and we will still be working with them and if you continue to put poison on our streets we will put you in jail. Period," Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson said.
"As you know Arkansas is a very small state and it's very important that law enforcement works as a team. This is great teamwork that you saw today....I was very proud today to lead today over 150 of the men and women of the Arkansas State Police in this operation. We also had our air assets and it contributed to it, but again we're just a player, a good teammate.... it was a great experience for me in law enforcement to see a community come up like that. On behalf of the men and women of the Arkansas State Police it was an honor to be part of this operation," said Arkansas State Police Director Colonel Bill Bryant
"It is good when the different agencies, state agencies, local agencies and county agencies collaborate for one effort to reduce crime within our community. I want to thank the Arkansas State Police, our Sheriff and all of the other agencies for their efforts in assisting our city," Blytheville Mayor James W. Sanders said.
"I am very pleased about today. Today is a culmination of what's been coming for the last two to three years in investigations. It's been a joint effort between the locals, a partnership that was set in place in 2007 or 2008 by the previous Sherriff Meadows and the previous Police Chief of Osceola Ray Rigsby and Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson. And we're reaping the fruits of that partnership that was started back then. We're going to continue this, and we're pleased that we had all the other entities come in to help us with the roundup today. Those that did most of the investigations and the preliminary to today's culmination. And I think they did an outstanding job and it's something that was dear to me when I ran in 2010 and we're going to continue to push forward and try to rid our communities of this problem. It is a continuation. It's the third major exercise or operation that has happened in Mississippi County since I took office in 2011. We're going to continue pushing and try to take out what's left out there that's plagued our communities. And as I have said before. We are not going to give up on our county and our communities. We are going to continue to charge forward with these efforts and again I will not tell those out there committing those crimes, who is coming, what equipment we are going to bring, when we're coming or when we're going to leave. We're just going to continue to push forward on these efforts. I want to commend all parties on the efforts today," Mississippi County Sheriff Dale Cook said.
"I think because of geography and the collective experience of those that live here today or grew up here have developed a keen sense of our neighbors. I have said many times over that what's good for Blytheville is good for Jonesboro and what is good for Corning is good for Paragould. But the converse is also true. When our neighbor stumbles it is our knee that gets skinned too. That is the reason my office has spent so much time focusing on the entire Arkansas Delta, and Mississippi County in particular. Drug dealers and violent criminal elements have infected this community and the entire Arkansas Delta and we are committed to helping our neighbors clean up their backyards...the drug and violence problems in Mississippi County are not the fault of the hard working men and women of law enforcement. They are not the fault of corruption with any of the police departments. The drug and violence problem here and throughout the Arkansas Delta have occurred despite the diligent work of hard working men and women who pin on a badge and strap on a gun each day to do their job. The sad fact is that they are overwhelmed by the criminal element and they need the help of their law enforcement partners in the federal government," Thyer added.
"For the past several years, through Operation Delta Blues where we arrested 72, through Operation Delta Crossroads where we arrested 24, to today when we've arrested 50 and we're still out there working, we have had the unwavering support of the U.S. Attorney's office. This is a day for Arkansas to be proud. Proud of its law enforcement community and proud of its civilian community," Resch added.
"Our community is worth fighting for. I believe in Blytheville. I believe in Osceola. Today with the help of the FBI, the State Police and the National Guard we took a big step toward taking our community back. And to the thugs and criminals that chose to sell drugs and guns, a special message to those that chose to violate the law, after everything is done and everyone is gone, we are still going to be out here working. We are going to use everything we can and we are going to use every available means to arrest you, to charge you, to convict you and to get major sentences against you in this district.", Prosecuting Attorney for the 2nd Judicial District Scott Ellington said.
"I'm Randy Carney, I'm the Mississippi County Judge, and I concur with my fellow citizens in thanking you. . .The reoccurring theme seems to be we're not through yet. We're not finished, you're not done. What's the next step," County Judge Randy Carney asked the multi-agency panel at Tuesday's press conference.
"Well I'm not going to tell you that judge. With all these cameras here I'm certainly not going to tell you that. What I will tell you is that we are here to stay and we are not going to advertise what we are going to do. But to echo some of the previous remarks we will use every tool in our toolbox. But we're not going to tell the criminals or anybody that does not have a need to know what our next move is," Thyer answered.
In addition to the arrests made today, two search warrants were executed by the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division and the DEA on property owned by an individual who has not yet been indicted. Due to privacy issues, no further details were available.
"The IRS Criminal Investigation Division's role in narcotic investigations is simply to follow the money to financially disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations...and we want to continue to prevent the flow of drug activities in our communities," Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge Chris Henry said.
LTC Clem Papineau of the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Unit from Camp Robinson said that despite rumors that the National Guard had blocked highways in and out of the city Tuesday morning, it simply was not true. He did, however, bring twenty members of his team that constituted a "law enforcement support package". The package provided logistical support such as transportation, helicopters and administrative assistance.
thenry@blythevillecourier.com