MIRAMAR, Fla. – Officials at the FBI’s Miami Field Office revealed the results of a two-month enforcement campaign Wednesday, saying 65 people were arrested and 21 firearms were seized during “Operation Viper,” a coordinated effort to target violent criminals in high-crime neighborhoods across South Florida.
“This is a shared success that truly benefits the communities that we all serve,” said Bret Skiles, the acting special agent in charge of FBI Miami.
Authorities said the targeted enforcement operation took place during May and June and relied on intelligence sharing between federal agents and local police departments in cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, and Miami, along with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
“The way it works is we get with our partners and say, what are your worst neighborhoods, who are your worst offenders in your neighborhoods, and say let’s target them — because that’s how we make true impact,” Skiles said.
Of the 65 people arrested, officials said 60 face state or local charges, while five are facing federal charges.
“The folks that we put behind bars are the people responsible for the most trauma that our communities have been suffering,” said Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department Chief William C. Schultz said the operation made a noticeable difference in his city alone.
“Over just three days, this operation led to 16 arrests in my city alone for armed robbery, burglary, grand theft, drug trafficking, and firearm-related offenses,” Schultz said.
Authorities also seized 21 firearms during the sweep, two of which had been illegally modified to fire automatically.
FBI officials released video of rapid gunfire to demonstrate the danger of so-called “switches” or “sears” — illegal conversion devices that can make semiautomatic handguns fire at machine gun speeds.
“Taking a semiautomatic firearm, where one round is fired with each squeeze of the trigger, to a weapon that can fire 1,200 rounds per minute,” said FBI Special Agent Peter Ganzert.
Law enforcement leaders said Operation Viper was just one example of how collaboration between federal and local partners can have a meaningful and immediate impact on community safety.