Since taking office again last year, President Trump has made cleaning up the nation's urban areas a priority – and one recent effort has yielded blockbuster results after federal law enforcement teamed up with local officials to get the bad guys off the streets.

This latest example comes out of St. Louis, where an eight-week federal law enforcement surge resulted in 435 arrests, 412 outstanding warrants being cleared, and 166 illegal firearms seized.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that Operation Show Me Justice, an effort led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and involving federal, state, and local law enforcement, had wrapped up after targeting violent offenders, illegal gun trafficking, and drug activity across the city.

Authorities report also seizing 81 kilograms of illegal drugs, six machine-gun conversion devices, and more than $1.25 million in suspected drug and firearms proceeds. Thirty-two search warrants were executed during the operation.

“The results speak for themselves,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said. “Dangerous criminals are off the streets, their weapons are out of circulation, and families in St. Louis are safer today than they were before.”

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The DOJ just wrapped Operation Show Me Justice in St. Louis — and the numbers are staggering: 435 arrests for drug crimes, firearm offenses, and outstanding warrants. 166 illegal firearms seized. 80 kilos of drugs off the streets. Six machine gun conversion devices recovered. Over $1 million in currency confiscated.

Acting Deputy AG Trent McCotter said most of the 435 people arrested already had outstanding warrants — many with multiple. The operation ran since August, combining U.S. Marshals, ATF, DEA, and St. Louis PD in a coordinated federal-local surge.

McCotter then issued a direct message to city leaders across the country: "Violence is not inevitable. We want to partner with you. We want to work with you. We want to help you." 

Federal authorities have already launched similar operations in D.C., Memphis, and Los Angeles.

DOJ shared some video from the operation on social media Thursday afternoon, showing a series of perps being cuffed and stuffed during the surge. “Operation Show Me Justice demonstrates exactly what happens when federal, state, and local partners unite behind a single mission: protecting communities from violent criminals,” McCotter remarked of the operation's success.

The St. Louis operation follows similar Trump administration crime crackdowns in other major cities. As RedState has reported, the administration's law-and-order push in Washington, D.C., has led to thousands of arrests and the seizure of large numbers of illegal firearms.

McCotter summed up the administration's message Thursday in just four words: “Violence is not inevitable."