FBI Charges 35 in Major West Virginia Crime Bust as Dir. Kash Patel Expands National Crackdown [WATCH]

The FBI announced Tuesday that 35 individuals have been charged in connection with a yearlong narcotics and firearms investigation in West Virginia, while also launching a nationwide crime-fighting initiative aimed at targeting violent offenders through the summer months, as reported by Fox News.

According to the bureau, the investigation, known as Operation Turf War, began in early 2025 and was led by FBI Pittsburgh and FBI Baltimore in partnership with the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

Federal authorities said the operation resulted in dozens of arrests, the seizure of illegal firearms and narcotics, and the forfeiture of proceeds allegedly connected to violent criminal activity.

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FBI Director Kash Patel discussed the results of the operation in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, describing the effort as a response to concerns raised by the local community.

“Operation Turf War was this FBI answering the call of a community that needed it the most,” Patel said.

The FBI said investigators relied on multiple law enforcement techniques during the operation, including confidential informants and cooperation among federal, state, and local agencies.

“This was a massively successful operation right in West Virginia with nearly three dozen individuals arrested using sophisticated techniques, confidential informants, and precise collaboration across the entire FBI enterprise with our partners,” Patel said.

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Patel also highlighted cooperation among several law enforcement agencies involved in the operation.

He said the investigation demonstrated “exactly what partnerships are supposed to look like.”

According to Patel, agencies participating in the effort included the Martinsburg Police Department SWAT team, Jefferson County SWAT, and Homeland Security Investigations SWAT.

The announcement came as the FBI unveiled Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a nationwide initiative focused on reducing violent crime through partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies.

The bureau said the program is an expanded version of an effort launched last year under then-Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino. That initiative resulted in thousands of arrests across the country.

Operation Summer Heat 2.0 is scheduled to run through Sept. 20 and will focus on identifying and disrupting violent criminals in communities nationwide.

“For the next 95 days, the entire country will see this FBI replicating these exact efforts across America with Operation Summer Heat – an extension of our work last year led by then Deputy Director Dan Bongino to crush violent crime,” Patel said.

“We’re just getting started,” he added.

The FBI released statistics from last year’s operation, reporting that Operation Summer Heat resulted in more than 8,600 arrests nationwide. The bureau also reported nearly 7,750 search operations, the seizure of 2,280 firearms, and more than 44,560 kilograms of cocaine.

Federal officials said this year’s initiative will be conducted on a larger scale than the previous effort.

According to the FBI, agents and task force officers will work alongside state and local law enforcement partners throughout the country to identify individuals involved in violent criminal activity and remove illegal firearms and narcotics from communities.

The bureau said Operation Turf War serves as an example of the type of coordinated enforcement effort it plans to expand during the summer initiative.

With Operation Summer Heat 2.0 now underway, federal officials say the focus will remain on collaboration between agencies as they pursue violent offenders and criminal organizations operating in communities across the United States.

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