MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors in South Florida say 55 people have been arrested in five separate cases involving illegal drug trafficking and numerous gun crimes.
Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer says authorities seized 23 firearms and more than 500 rounds of ammunition in the five investigations, as well as large quantities of powder cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.
In one case, 20 people were charged with running a heroin trafficking organization based in the Miami area that operated in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. Another suspect is charged with possessing and selling fully automatic machine guns.
All face lengthy potential prison sentences.
The roundup is part of the Violence Reduction Partnership in which federal and local authorities work to dismantle violent criminal networks in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.