Large-scale gun, drug busts mark latest chapter in federal violent crime crackdown in Minnesota

Separate federal raids in the Twin Cities and Rochester this week yielded the seizure of dozens of firearms — including devices to turn them into machine guns — and the takedown of a large-scale meth trafficking group, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said Friday.

The operations, which included help from a national team of federal tactical responders, marked the latest chapter in Luger's new violent crime strategy launched in May and added 25 people to the growing tally of those arrested and facing serious federal prison time.

"What law enforcement is encountering on the streets of Minneapolis, St. Paul and other cities today is far more disturbing than even the alarming numbers show," Luger said. "By their actions, their weapons and their words, violent offenders are displaying an absolute disdain for the law and a disregard for human life."

Luger unveiled the results of the Thursday raids with an hourlong morning news conference in his office alongside nearly a dozen federal and state law enforcement leaders from the area.

He illustrated a criminal landscape where violent offenders feel more emboldened to deploy militaristic weapons while trafficking potentially lethal doses of fentanyl all out of a belief that they will not be caught or held accountable. Luger attributed that ethos to feedback from some of those arrested in recent operations.

More than 100 officers — including those from out-of-state special response teams — convened in the Twin Cities on Thursday to arrest 15 people on federal gun charges. The operation included the seizure of 29 firearms and three auto sear devices used to turn otherwise semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns, Luger said.

The special response teams, a tactical group, travel to high-crime areas to help arrest those deemed to present the highest risk of violence.

"While we are fortunate that two of these elite teams traveled to our communities to arrest high-level targets," Luger said, "it is sad news that we in Minnesota need them in the first place. But we do."

Jeffrey Reed, assistant special agent in charge of the St. Paul division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said Friday that local divisions call in such teams based on certain offenders' criminal histories and potential for violence.

Thursday's deployment of the teams was precautionary, Reed said, and the five suspects deemed "high risk" were safely arrested. This was just the latest example of resources pouring in from elsewhere to assist in the Twin Cities: Reed said the ATF's St. Paul division has pulled in research specialists and additional agents from other divisions to increase its capacity this summer.

"Right now the top priority on every law enforcement officer's mind is reducing the violent gun crime that is affecting the Twin Cities," he said.

Also Thursday, federal drug enforcement agents and state authorities arrested 10 people in the Rochester area on federal methamphetamine conspiracy charges while seizing drugs and firearms during their arrests.

Luger made prosecuting violent crime his top focus upon beginning his second term as U.S. Attorney this year. He has ordered all criminal prosecutors to handle violent crime cases and plans to also prosecute such cases himself.

Luger said Friday that his office has charged about 35 "high-risk" offenders in recent weeks with crimes ranging from serial convenience store robbery, carjacking, illegal firearms possession and other gang-related activities.

He highlighted the recent case of Derrick Scott, a man with eight prior felony convictions before being arrested for allegedly selling fentanyl pills and possessing a machine gun to protect his trade. When brought into custody, Luger said, Scott told officers he would have no trouble doing federal prison time before returning to the street.

"He then proclaimed, 'I will still be the king,'" Luger said.

That bravado is misplaced, Luger said, noting that possessing a machine gun while trafficking fentanyl has a mandatory 30-year prison sentence if convicted.

Other recent cases include new charges against four men accused of targeting Uber and Lyft ride share drivers with carjacking while violently forcing the drivers to turn over access to mobile banking apps. Another man recently arrested after a prior 15-year prison stint was linked to seven shootings, including one fatal, over the course of just a few days.

Friday's update included another public service announcement video produced by Luger's officer that is seeking help tracking down those who possess or use "auto sear" devices.

Justin King, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Omaha division, said Friday that the agency is noting a sharp rise in violence associated with drug trafficking: The DEA reported seizing 8,700 firearms last year connected to trafficking organizations. DEA lab testing is also finding that 4 out of every 10 fake pills containing fentanyl have potentially lethal dosages.

Fentanyl is likewise surging in state laboratories, said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). Evans said the BCA's lab is reporting about 120 cases per month involving drugs with fentanyl in them.

Minneapolis interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman said her department continues to note a rise in carjacking cases, something it did not track before 2020. The 343 carjacking cases so far in 2022 are up from 277 the same time last year, she said.

Huffman also provided an updated tally on gunfire in the city: More than 350 people have been shot so far this year, adding to the 600 shot in 2021. Huffman said there have been 5,800 shooting or shots fired calls in Minneapolis and Shotspotter technology has recorded 13,000 rounds fired in the city.

"The real world impact of these numbers is staggering," Huffman said. "Behind the statistics are people — our friends and neighbors, our colleagues, our family members — whose lives have been impacted and forever changed by violent crime."