Law enforcement agencies worked together in a special operation in the Wichita area this summer to target violent offenders.   This was the third year for the Operation Triple Beam enforcement effort, with previous operations conducted in 2019 and 2021.

Wichita Police Lieutenant Aaron Moses said the operation was conducted in June and July over separate ten-day periods, and they were targeting people with active felony warrants and the most violent offenders in the area.   The operation cleared 149 felony warrants, with 19 guns that were seized.  The operation also resulted in the seizure of ten pounds of methamphetamine, almost 23 grams of cocaine, and 73,295 fentanyl pills.

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said it was an impact-driven program that targeted the the people who were driving the violent crime in the city.  Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said his office will continue to work with Wichita police to go after offenders with felony warrants.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation director Tony Mattivi (pictured above) said there were dozens of dangerous criminals taken off the streets, and he believes the seizure of the fentanyl pills could have saved countless lives in the community.

The operation was conducted by the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, the KBI, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Department of Corrections, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Kansas.