A U.S. Marshals Service-led task force arrested 24 people in Pima County last week, all with felony warrants for violent crimes or drug offenses, authorities said.
A total of 80 fugitives were arrested in the statewide sweep between Sept. 12 and 16, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Nathan Warner.
Operation Southern Star V focused on reducing violent crime in Pima, Graham and Cochise counties, Warner said.
“Law enforcement partners reviewed outstanding warrants, conducted research and collaboratively teamed up in an effort to locate and apprehend these fugitives,” Warner said.
Jesse Mendez, Manuel Tapia and Joseph Ayze were all arrested in Tucson on various charges.
Mendez was wanted for attempted premeditated first degree murder by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Tapia was wanted by Tucson Police Department for armed robbery with a firearm and Ayze was wanted by the Marshals for escaping from a halfway house, while serving time for a voluntary manslaughter charge, Warner said.
The operation also netted 18 arrests in Cochise County, 37 arrests in Graham and one arrest in Maricopa County.
Of the 80 arrests, 37 were for drug-related offenses, 21 for crimes against another person and two for homicide. The other arrests included robbery, assault and weapons violations.
Operation Southern Star IV, conducted last fall, resulted in 72 arrests across the state.
Participating law enforcement agencies this year included TPD, Pima County Adult Probation, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Homeland Security, DPS, Arizona Department of Corrections, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a variety of local law enforcement agencies in and outside of Pima County.
