Federal prosecutors in Fort Worth, Texas, announced on Monday, November 9, that 141 defendants have been charged in federal court at the conclusion of Operation New Day, a two-and-a-half-month public safety push that targeted drug traffickers, armed felons and other dangerous offenders across Fort Worth communities. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced the results at a press conference, saying the operation ran from August 24 to November 5 and involved more than 20 undercover operations.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

The seizure totals underline what kind of networks the operation was aimed at. Between August 24 and November 5, law enforcement seized 35 firearms, more than 100 grams of fentanyl, more than 45 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 22 kilograms of cocaine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Independent local reporting of the same announcement carried the same figures: 141 people facing federal charges, with firearms, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine seized over the 75-day operation.

Source: Longhorn Current, Nov. 10, 2026

How the 141 charges break down

The largest single group — 51 defendants — was charged with illegal reentry after deportation. Another 45 defendants were charged with drug trafficking offences, including possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Fifteen defendants were charged with firearms offences, including being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition, unlawful possession of machineguns, and possession of a firearm by a person in the country unlawfully.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

The remaining charges show how wide the sweep was: 10 defendants were charged with violating national defence airspace, 9 with child exploitation and related sex offences, 7 with election and citizenship-related offences — including voting by a non-citizen in a federal election and false claims of citizenship to register to vote or in naturalisation — 2 with document fraud, 1 with assaulting a federal officer and 1 with falsely representing himself as a U.S. citizen. All of the charges are allegations: the Justice Department stresses that indictments, informations and criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

What the officials in charge said

'In two and a half months, Operation New Day took 141 criminal offenders off the streets of Fort Worth,' U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. 'These are drug traffickers, armed felons, people who exploit children, and others who put our neighbours at risk. I am grateful to our prosecutors and to our law enforcement partners whose incredible work made this possible, but our work doesn't end with this operation. We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who threatens our communities in North Texas.'

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas acting Special Agent in Charge Antwoine Jones said the operation 'reflects the strength of our partnerships and our shared commitment to protecting communities from criminal activity,' and promised HSI would keep working with federal, state and local partners in Fort Worth. DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker said the operation showed what partners can do 'to take deadly drugs and illegal firearms off our streets,' and Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Texas Sean Malecha said of fugitives: 'If you are on our list, we will find you and ensure you face justice in the Northern District of Texas.'

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

Nine agencies, one city

Operation New Day was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, ATF, the FBI, HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, the Fort Worth Police Department and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors said. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Capoccia, Connor Day, Joshua Garland, Frank Gatto, Allyson Monte, Claire Mosely, Will Payne and Aisha Saleem from the Fort Worth Division, and Eric Chen from the Dallas Division.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

Background: a 90-day operation launched in August

The operation was formally launched on August 24 as a roughly 90-day initiative to rid Fort Worth of dangerous offenders ahead of the holiday season, prosecutors said at the launch, focusing on narcotics traffickers and other violent offenders. Less than two weeks in, the Fort Worth Division had already filed 23 new federal cases and seized more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with distribution quantities of crack and powder cocaine — an early pace that continued through to the November 5 conclusion.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Operation New Day launch announcement

Fort Worth is the tenth-largest city in the United States, and its rapid growth reflects the continued expansion of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the nation's largest metropolitan regions, the U.S. Attorney's Office noted. The Metroplex is also one of America's biggest freight and trucking hubs, sitting at the junction of major interstate corridors — which is one reason drug and firearms trafficking through North Texas matters well beyond the city itself, including for the large trucking workforce, among them many Punjabi drivers, that moves freight through the region every day.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026

What happens next

The operation itself has concluded, but the 141 cases now move through federal court in the Northern District of Texas, where defendants will face arraignments, detention hearings and, in contested cases, trials in the months ahead. Prosecutors and agency chiefs were explicit that enforcement will not stop with the announcement: ATF said its mission 'is not' ending, HSI promised continued joint work, and Raybould said his office will 'continue to aggressively pursue anyone who threatens our communities in North Texas.' For Fort Worth residents, the test of the operation will be what the court outcomes — and neighbourhood safety in the months after the sweep — actually show.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas, Nov. 9, 2026