HOPEWELL, Va. (WTVR) - Thursday and Friday, law enforcement officers from a half-dozen agencies will be out in force, rounding up people as part of "Operation Impact"
"This has made history in Hopewell" says Police Chief John Keohane.
Chief Keohand says after six months of undercover drug buys throughout the city, a grand jury handed down 222 felony indictments to 64 people.
“Providing the citizens of Hopewell a safer environment and community in which to live is top priority for the police department,” Hopewell Police Chief John Keohane said in a statement.
“The cooperative effort by all those involved in Operation Impact demonstrates the importance and commitment we all have in cleaning up the city of drug dealers and their illegal activity.”
Locals who watched dozens of officers converge on the city, were shocked by the sight, but many were quick with praise to learn why they were there.
Thursday morning, during one of the first arrests of the day, Chief Keohane says the suspect "already had a gun and drugs in his possession as the arrest team converged on him."
By Thursday afternoon, half of the 64 suspects were in custody.
Police said they considered this investigation "ongoing" and asked anyone with information about drug activity in Hopewell to call Hopewell Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at (804) 541-2284.
