A Southaven fentanyl operation on Oct. 14 was one of two North Mississippi sweeps by the Attorney General’s Fentanyl Strike Force. Together the two operations produced 16 arrests and six ICE detainers, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Monday, Oct. 19. The second operation took place in Tupelo the next day, Oct. 15.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office and the Southaven Police Department were among the agencies working with the AG’s office. The release does not say how many of the arrests came from the Southaven operation and how many came from Tupelo.
Southaven Fentanyl Operation Results
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the two operations combined produced:
6 felony arrests
5 misdemeanor arrests
5 DUI arrests
6 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers
1 search warrant executed
1 juvenile runaway recovered
The AG’s office did not release the names of anyone arrested or the specific charges, and it did not say what drugs, if any, were seized. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Agencies Involved
The Tupelo operation was run jointly with District Attorney Jason Herring’s office. Agencies that took part in the operations include:
DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office
Southaven Police Department
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
Mississippi Highway Patrol
North Mississippi Narcotics Task Force
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Tupelo Police Department
District Attorney Jason Herring’s Office
“We will not tolerate predators peddling death in our communities,” Fitch said in the release. She thanked the North Mississippi agencies that took part and said her office aims to give officers across the state the tools to disrupt drug operations and build cases.
Herring called the fight against fentanyl “a daily battle, but one worth fighting because lives are at stake.”
About the Fentanyl Strike Force
Fitch created the Fentanyl Strike Force in 2023, along with her office’s “One Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign. Her office says the strike force has trained nearly 900 Mississippi officers to safely handle fentanyl and work narcotics cases. That includes a training session for 40 officers held Oct. 13, the day before the Southaven operation.
DeSoto County agencies have joined strike force sweeps before, and the October operation is the latest sign of local, state, and federal agencies teaming up on drug enforcement along the I-55 corridor. Residents with information about drug activity can contact the Southaven Police Department or the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement agencies that want to join the statewide strike force can contact the Attorney General’s Office.
For more DeSoto County public safety news, see our recent coverage of the Horn Lake shooting arrest.
