Operation Viper Leads to 91 Arrests, Major Drug and Cash Seizures in St. Louis Region

St. Louis, Mo. (KFMO) - Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have announced the results of “Operation Viper,” a large-scale coordinated effort aimed at reducing violent crime in the St. Louis region.

Tuesday, FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey spoke at FBI headquarters and outlined the results of the operation, which was made possible through an increase in FBI resources for St. Louis secured last year with support from Senator Eric Schmitt.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Grant Bissell says Operation Viper was designed to bring multiple law enforcement agencies together in an aggressive effort to target violent offenders, fugitives, illegal narcotics activity, and other criminal activity throughout the region.

Bissell says Jefferson County law enforcement agencies participated in the operation during April as part of the broader regional initiative.

According to officials, Operation Viper led to 91 arrests, including 45 state fugitives. Authorities also seized more than 310-thousand dollars in cash along with significant quantities of illegal narcotics.

Federal officials say the FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue aggressively targeting violent crime while working to improve safety throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area and surrounding communities.