RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force (VHSTF) surpassed 2,500 arrests as of July 1, 2025. The VHSTF is a federal-state partnership established by the U.S. Department of Justice, formally announced on March 3, that works to combat transnational organized crime, gang violence, and illegal immigration across the Commonwealth. Since operations began on February 25, the Task Force has arrested 2,512 violent criminals who are illegally in the United States.

“The Virginia Homeland Security Task Force has been extremely successful, and Virginia is safer today because of it,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “I am grateful for the brave men and women of our federal, state and local law enforcement who show up and go to work every day to ensure violent criminals who are here illegally are arrested.”

The Governor addressed the media at the Virginia State Police (VSP) headquarters in Chesterfield, joined by VSP Superintendent Colonel Matthew Hanley and Petersburg City Chief of Police Travis Christian. Earlier today, the Governor congratulated Virginia State Police (VSP) leaders for securing the largest recruitment class since 2018, with over 100 troopers starting training.

The Governor also announced increased enforcement by the Virginia State Police in cities with high violent crime rates under the Administration’s Operation Bold Blue Line initiative, supporting 13 Virginia cities to combat violent crime, in conjunction with the Operation Ceasefire Initiative from Attorney General Jason Miyares and the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). OBBL cities receive increased support from VSP and support from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

“When a city is troubled with violent crime, we do not turn our backs on our fellow Virginians. We stand together with our law enforcement heroes and form a Bold Blue Line to protect communities and put criminals behind bars,” Governor Youngkin continued. “And it’s working. We have stepped up recruitment efforts and delivered the largest class for new troopers in recent memory. We are going to put more badges on the street. Our great state troopers work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement leaders and our Attorney General’s amazing Ceasefire team to protect and serve all communities. As we move into the summer, the Virginia State Police will be increasing their patrols in the places which need the most help.”

The Governor and Colonel Hanley also discussed the comprehensive effort to combat human trafficking. A large focus has been on increasing awareness of the issue and how to report instances of human trafficking. In 2023, approximately 168 tips were submitted the Virginia State Police. In the first six months of 2025, 523 tips were submitted.

“There has been a foundational shift in people’s understanding of what human trafficking looks like and how to actually build a case to not just interrupt it, but to rescue Virginians who are caught in it,” Governor Youngkin said.

Finally, the Governor updated on the Operation FREE effort which is part of the Youngkin Administration’s comprehensive fight against fentanyl. The effort, launched by the Commonwealth, has grown to include 175 federal, state, local and international partners. To date, 794 pounds of fentanyl have been seized in Virginia, enough to kill every Virginian 10 times over, and over 5,300 pounds of fentanyl have been seized across all jurisdictions participating. Operation FREE 3.0 concluded in April 2025 and the fourth iteration will launch this October.

“The Virginia State Police is extremely proud of the work being done to combat violent crime, narcotic trafficking, and human trafficking across the Commonwealth,” said Colonel Matthew Hanley. “By leveraging the resources of our local, state, and federal public safety partners and applying intelligence led policing strategies, we are making our communities significantly safer.”

Additional Background on Virginia Homeland Security Task Force: 

On February 27, Governor Youngkin signed Executive Order 47, directing the Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Corrections to sign 287(g) memoranda with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), empowering these agencies to directly enforce federal immigration law. ICE approved the agreements within 20 hours, reportedly a record. The Task Force is led by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik S. Siebert, and includes personnel from the following agencies:

• U.S. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
• Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
• U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (BATFE)
• U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and U.S. Customs Air Marine
• High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force
• Virginia State Police
• Virginia Department of Corrections

Joint federal-state operations will continue as partner agencies conduct long-term investigations into narcotics, violent gangs, and transnational organized crime under their respective authorities.

Additional Background on Operation Bold Blue Line 

Operation Bold Blue Line was launched in 2022 with goal of strengthening law enforcement across 13 key cities with more support from VSP:

• Chesapeake
• Norfolk
• Richmond
• Newport News
• Hampton
• Roanoke
• Portsmouth
• Lynchburg
• Danville
• Petersburg
• Hopewell
• Martinsville
• Emporia

In addition to increased support from the Virginia State Police, OBBL has focused on increasing law enforcement pay, increasing training and equipment resources, new support for recruiting and officer wellness at DCJS, additional victim/witness support, and partnership with Operation Ceasefire prosecutors and community partners.

OBBL Virginia Metrics Since 12/15/2022:

• Cases initiated by BCI: 1,707
• Traffic stops conducted: 53,491
• Firearms seized: 1,306
• Subjects arrested: 1,294
• Felony Charges: 3,297
• Misdemeanor arrests: 3,087
• Currency seized: $12,550,833
• Illicit drugs seized value: $116,131,713
• Drugs seized: 8,671.69 lbs.
• Fentanyl seized: 110.78 lbs.
• Heroin seized: 11.12 lbs.
• Meth seized: 311.64 lbs.
• Cocaine seized: 763.5 lbs.
• Marijuana seized: 7,390.25 lbs.

OBBL Metrics Since 01/01/2025:

• Cases initiated by BCI: 178
• Traffic stops conducted: 9,335
• Firearms seized: 167
• Subjects arrested: 260
• Felony arrests: 846
• Misdemeanor arrests: 697
• Currency seized: $759,109
• Illicit drugs seized value: $17,726,830
• Drugs seized pounds: 1,771.26 lbs.
  • Fentanyl seized: 6.64 lbs.
  • Heroin seized: 3.63 lbs.
  • Meth seized: 29.24 lbs.
  • Cocaine seized: 147.5 lbs.
  • Marijuana seized: 1,581.22 lbs.

All Virginia Violent Crime Stats 

(Comparing Full Calendar Year 2024 to Full Calendar Year 2021)

• Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter: -30.27%
• Rape: -16.13%
• Robbery: -1.95%
• Aggravated Assault: +2.21%
• Overall Crime in OBBL Cities: -10.75%

Additional Background on Operation FREE and the Youngkin Administration’s Comprehensive Effort to Combat Fentanyl Crisis: 

Background on our Comprehensive Effort to Combat Fentanyl Crisis

1) Interrupt the Drug Trade and Give Law Enforcement More Tools: Operation FREE, an aggressive law enforcement partnership between federal, state, and local agencies to crack down on the drug trade (Note- numbers are Virginia specific):

• Fentanyl Seized: 794.51 lbs
• Approximate Number of Fatal Overdoses Seized: 85,044,424
• Number of Pills that could have been Produced: 112,688,470
• Total Street Value of Pills: $3,044,096,449
• Total Arrests: 2,579
• Total Illicit Narcotics Recovered: 70,254 lbs
• Total Prescription Medication Taken Back: 50,240 lbs

2) Enhance Penalties & Enforcement 

• Banning Pill Presses – SB 469 (Obenshain) – Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person, except for permitted manufacturers, to possess, purchase, sell, give, distribute, or possess with intent to sell, give, or distribute an encapsulating machine or a tableting machine that manufactures, compounds, converts, produces, processes, prepares, or otherwise introduces into the human body a controlled substance.
• School Connected Overdoses – Executive Order 28, SB 1240 (Sturtevant), HB 2774 (Singh, Higgins, Coyner) – Requires public school principals and heads of private schools in the Commonwealth to report certain information to the parents of enrolled students within 24 hours of a confirmed or suspected school-connected student overdose.
• New Felony Charge for Drug Dealers Connected to Fatal Overdose – SB 746 (McDougle, DeSteph), HB 2657 (Thomas) – Provides that any person who knowingly, intentionally, and feloniously manufactures, sells, or distributes a controlled substance knowing that such controlled substance contains a detectable amount of fentanyl, including its derivatives, isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, and unintentionally causes the death of another person is guilty of involuntary manslaughter if (i) such death results from the use of the controlled substance and (ii) such controlled substance is the proximate cause of the death.
• Defining Fentanyl as “Weapon of Terrorism” – SB 1188 (Reeves) HB 1682 (Wyatt) – Includes any mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, including its isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, as a weapon of terrorism for the purpose of defining terrorism offenses.

3) Educating: It Only Takes One (IOTO) – a comprehensive education and engagement initiative to give parents, family members, educators, and caretakers the knowledge they need to warn their loved ones about the dangers of fentanyl.

• 100 Individuals in Fentanyl Families Ambassadors Program.
• Hosted IOTO and REVIVE training events in targeted areas like Richmond City, Norfolk, Fairfax County, Virginia Beach, Henrico County, Portsmouth, Chesterfield County, Newport News, Prince William County, Hopewell, and Petersburg.

4) Equipping: Right Help, Right Now REVIVE! Training – a program to increase the availability of life-saving naloxone and provide trainings to as many Virginians as possible on how to use it to save the life of someone experiencing an overdose.

• Since July 2022, the Virginia Department of Health has distributed 388,584 doses of naloxone.
• 96,818 people trained by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and over 41,350 doses of naloxone distributed to trained individuals.
• Over 300 REVIVE! Trainers trained – so they can go train other people.

Read More: https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2025/july/name-1052820-en.html