The Memphis Safe Task Force announced that it has surpassed 1,500 arrests for illegal narcotics offenses since launching in September 2025, as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies continue targeting violent crime in Memphis.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced the milestone in a press release Monday, reporting the multi-agency operation has made 13,876 arrests since its inception, including 1,561 arrests involving known gang members and 448 juveniles. Authorities operating under the initiative have also seized 2,329 illegal firearms.
Furthermore, the task force has recorded 147 homicide arrests, 1,372 arrests for firearms violations, and 126 arrests for sex offenses, according to the agency.
Read more here: https://t.co/PN2fejpuki#USMarshals pic.twitter.com/qtJDsOuW7m
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) October 26, 2026
“The Memphis Safe Task Force is an unprecedented multi-agency effort that has resulted in significant violent crime reduction by disrupting the drivers of crime,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said in a statement.
“Seizing such a substantial quantity of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, as well as arresting the individuals who peddle those drugs sends a clear message that we are all united in our mission to make Memphis safe from the scourge of illicit narcotics,” Serralta added.
According to the U.S. Marshals, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents assigned to the task force have worked alongside the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit and the West Tennessee Drug Task Force to seize fentanyl, other controlled substances, illegal firearms, and cash.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole emphasized the connection between drug offenses and violent crime, saying, “We know drug crime drives violent crime, and we’re breaking that cycle one arrest at a time.”
Monday’s announcement follows a visit to Memphis earlier this month by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who credited the task force with reducing overall crime by 34 percent from the previous year.
Blanche said overall crime had fallen to a 25-year low, with murders down 33 percent, sexual assaults down 25 percent, motor vehicle thefts down 54 percent, and robberies down 40 percent.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Memphis Safe Task Force” by Tennessee National Guard.
