MERIDIAN — Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of Operation Check Mate, a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the Attorney General’s Office Fentanyl Strike Force that took place in Meridian. Fitch’s office said the operation produced 20 felony arrests, 10 misdemeanor arrests, one DUI, 156 traffic citations and the execution of one search warrant.
Officials said officers seized four firearms, marijuana, methamphetamine, MDMA pills, crack cocaine, suspected fentanyl powder, $7,368 in suspected illicit proceeds and 40 illegal gambling devices during the operation.
Participating agencies included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department; the Meridian Police Department; Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control; the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics; the Mississippi Gaming Commission; and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Fitch’s office said.
Fitch created the Fentanyl Strike Force in 2023 as part of the rollout of the One Pill Can Kill public education and awareness campaign. Officials said Operation Check Mate followed one of the free Fentanyl Strike Force training sessions offered by the Attorney General’s Office. More than 800 officers have been trained in narcotics investigations and in the use of naloxone and fentanyl test strips.
“Fighting the fentanyl epidemic cannot be done without cooperation. It takes all of us,” Fitch said in a statement. “My office is committed to building a network of law enforcement across the state with the tools and knowledge to disrupt drug operations and successfully prosecute these criminals. Thank you to our local, state and federal partners who worked with us during this operation. Together, we can get these dangerous criminals out of our communities and drugs off of our streets.” Law enforcement agencies interested in participating in the Fentanyl Strike Force can contact the Attorney General’s Office at [email protected].
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
