U.S. authorities arrests over 10,700 fugitives in week-long sweep

Agents of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested nearly 11,000 fugitives, as well as many sex offenders and gang members in a week-long law enforcement campaign, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced on Thursday.

Of those arrested during the operation, 10,773 were fugitives, 1,600 were sex offenders, 971 of whom were unregistered, and 360 gang members, Gonzales said at a news conference.

Some 232 firearms were also seized in the operation from Oct. 22 to 28, which was dubbed "FALCON III," and was conducted in 49 judicial districts, in 24 states east of the Mississippi River.

The operation, like FALCON II earlier this year in the western United States, had a particular focus on sex offenders and gang members, and broke U.S. Marshals records for the numbers of fugitives, sex offenders, and gang members arrested in one week, said Gonzales.

"America's neighborhoods are safer today, thanks to Operation Falcon III," Gonzales said.

About 3,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers hit the streets every day during the operation, said John Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service.

He said 107 of those apprehended were wanted for murder and over 3,600 were narcotics violators.

It was estimated that there are about 1 million fugitives who have been put into the National Crime Information Center, according to Clark.

Source: Xinhua