Video Transcript

FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil:

Good morning. My name is Lyonel Myrthil, and I am the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office, with responsibility for the entire State of Louisiana. I want to thank all the partner agencies who joined us this morning to announce the conclusion of Operation Clean House, the FBI’s collaborative, intelligence driven violent crime operation worked in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to target the most violent individuals on our streets.

All the agencies you see on the screen were part of this effort. Following the pandemic, we saw a rise in violent crime across the nation. The City of New Orleans was recently seen as a downward trend in our violent crime rate, which is a testament to all the great work being done by the law enforcement community here in the Greater New Orleans area.

Despite this downward trend, we know that New Orleans has historically had a high violent crime rate, and that we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that members of our community felt safe. The partners you see here in this room collaborated for months identifying and prioritizing the most violent individuals in the Greater New Orleans area.

We coordinated with federal, state, and local prosecutors and worked closely with the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office to prepare for the increased arrests and detainees. Together, we focused on collective intelligence gathered from all our partners and what we were hearing from our own community members in the most affected neighborhoods.

For the past four weeks, teams of local, state, and federal agencies joined forces in Operation Clean House to target areas plagued by narcotics trafficking, shootings, and killings. Operation Clean House had two distinct phases.

In phase one, we focused on a proactive strategy where teams of law enforcement officers were deployed in every district of New Orleans, engaging in real time, intelligence driven actions that concluded on June 14th. During this phase, uniformed and unmarked units from multiple agencies received live analytical support as they moved into targeted areas. Every single action taken over the last month was part of an effort to dismantle violent enterprises and reclaim our communities.

We saw significant results immediately, including the arrest of a 31-year-old man from Pennsylvania on gun and drug charges who was also wanted in Vermont for first degree murder. At the time we arrested him, this suspected killer had two guns in his possession, including one with an extended magazine. Another day, a shooting took place in one New Orleans neighborhood near where agents, officers, and troopers were already out working. Their quick response resulted in the suspect being taken into custody within minutes. In another incident, state troopers and HSI agents provided lifesaving support to a subject who shot himself in the leg while fleeing from law enforcement.

Phase One ended with 74 arrests, a variety of dangerous drug seizures, and 46 firearms and ammunition taken into evidence. Some of the charges these subjects are facing include felon in possession of a firearm, possession with the intent to distribute, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a machine gun, and possession of Glock switches which convert semi-automatic pistols into automatic weapons, which is a federal crime.

The drugs we confiscated included fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, oxycodone, suboxone, pounds of marijuana, MDMD, tapentadol, which is a pain killer. Some of the firearms taken during phase one included AK-47’s, AR-15’s, Dracos, and multiple types of handguns. All used to terrorize our community.

Each weapon, and each bullet confiscated is potentially one less person potentially injured or killed.

In Phase Two, we focused on fugitive apprehension. During the planning phase, partner agencies submitted upwards of 400 outstanding warrants for review. Our analysts identified 76 active warrants for some of the most violent offenses including attempted murder, assault by drive-by-shooting, aggravated battery or assault, arson, armed robbery, felony burglary, possession with the intent to distribute and a variety of weapons charges.

Phase Two, which ended yesterday, June 26th, resulted in 77 arrests, 100% execution of all warrants, and 11 firearms and ammunition seized. Phase One and Phase Two of Operation Clean House, over the four-week period, which in essence amounted to 16 days, was a total of 155 arrests, 54 firearms and ammunition seized, ten firearm switches and 39 instances of illegal narcotics seized.

Our agents and partners did an amazing job making a tangible impact in communities that have long felt neglected. Our message here today is clear. This is not a one and done effort. This is not a superficial attempt because New Orleans is hosting a major sporting event next year. We are here for the long haul.

To those who choose violence over contributing to our society, our message is firm. We aren’t going away. We know what you are doing. We know where you are. And you will not see us coming. This is a long-term, methodical effort top uproot crime in our city, no matter who you are, where you are, or how long it takes.

To the members of our great city who literally cheered us on, I say thank you. We continue to need your support. New Orleans, we are here, we are listening, and we care.