Operation Invictus leads to 44 arrests; drugs, guns and cash seized

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of West Virginia teamed up for a warrant roundup across multiple counties.

They called it Operation Invictus. It went from September 7-24 and saw the arrest of 44 people.

According to Michael Baylous with the U.S. Marshals, many of the arrests involved drugs and sex crimes, and some were even related to gangs.

“Operation Invictus was very successful We had 44 felony arrests that were made,” Baylous said. “And three of those individuals were identified as gang members.”

During the arrests, officers found meth, heroine, fentanyl and marijuana. They also found $24,000 in cash and six firearms. 

The Raleigh County Prosecutor’s Office thanked the various agencies that teamed up to make the arrests.

“The collaboration and cooperation among multiple agencies in making sure we are all working with synergy, working together, is the cornerstone of any operation,” Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said.

This operation also utilized the CUFF task force. It lets the U.S. Marshals deputize local law enforcement and allows them to go across boundaries to make an arrest.

“We want to thank our partners in the CUFF Task Force, because the Marshals service is a relatively small agency,” Baylous added. “The Marshals service could not be nearly as effective if it wasn’t for our partners in the task force.”

Many felony charges are still pending for the 44 people involved.

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