COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Division of Police announced the results of its latest operation designed to crack down on crime on the city's north side.
Columbus police, SWAT and Drug Crimes units were among some of the law enforcement officers who patrolled the far north side on Thursday in "Operation Unity Part 4."
"The purpose of Operation unity is to address the community concerns, specifically violent crimes, getting narcotics off the street, getting guns off the street, and just the overall quality of life and neighborhoods," Sgt. James Fuqua said. "In this particular Operation Unity, we focused on the far north side. So, Morse Road and north of there, so it was very important to get out there and get these incredible stats that the officers worked so hard for."
The operation is an organized crime blitz that started in 2021 and is aimed at removing violent offenders, illegal weapons and narcotics from city streets.
Officers patrolled the area between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday. Over the course of 15 hours, law enforcement officers recovered three stolen vehicles and 13 illegal weapons.
You can read the full results of the operation below, which include the apprehension and recovery of:
- 15 felony arrests
- Three stolen vehicles recovered
- 13 illegal guns recovered
- Seven search warrants served
- 14 arrest warrants served
- 1,162 grams of cocaine seized
- 708 grams of fentanyl seized
- 3,572 grams of marijuana seized
- 473 grams of meth seized
- $39,000 cash seized
- $268,000 street value in suspected drugs recovered
Past operations focused on the Franklinton, Linden and Hilltop neighborhoods of Columbus and other cities in Franklin County.
"Operation Unity is not just about enforcement, it's also quality of life issues so we had a house that was a nuisance, and we were able to partner with code enforcement and the city attorney's office to get that house boarded up," Fuqua said. "And out of that house, we got people who were wanted on arrest, felony arrest as well as other illegal guns and narcotics. So, it's important to make sure that we're partnering with people. But yes, at that house was actually part of Operation unity."