Danville Police release more details about ‘Operation Blitz’; 25 suspects identified

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The Danville Police Department has released more details following “Operation Blitz”, a five-day operation that focused on violent offenders and fugitives linked to firearm-related offenses.

Police say “Operation Blitz” is part of an effort to help reduce gun violence in Danville.

According to police, the operation involved surveillance, traffic interdiction, and residential search warrants in capturing fugitives, according to police, leading to the seizure of:

- 244 grams of cocaine

- 262 grams of methamphetamine

- 72 grams of fentanyl

- 4.7 pounds of marijuana

Lt. John Dixon with the Danville Police Department says the operation happened between May 22-26 after they began seeing an uptick in gun-related crimes.

“We looked at our data analytics for the last 90 days of when incidents happen throughout the city and where those incidents happen, anything involving a firearm. We looked at those areas and the geographical areas throughout our city and determined where to focus our efforts,” said Lt. Dixon.

Members of the Violent Crime Gang Unit, Vice Narcotics Unit, Crime Deterrence & Interdiction Unit, and the Criminal Investigations Section used “focused enforcement to reduce violence through proactive and predictive policing using data-driven activities through the stratified model of policing,” according to police.

Police say 2 of the 11 guns seized had been stolen, and some were used in other instances of violence.

“Anytime we have gun violence, that is a community problem. Obviously, the police department cannot arrest our way out of any issue like that. So that is a response from the entire community,” said Lt. Dixon.

Police say several of the suspects were repeat offenders and some are affiliated with local gangs.

Police also shared that some of those who were arrested were juveniles. The two juveniles arrested are 15 and 16 years old.

Danville Police say the arrests in “Operation Blitz” resulted in other cases being developed for future prosecution. Officials say the operation will continue and more arrests are expected.

Copyright 2023 WDBJ. All rights reserved.