FBI Launches Major Wisconsin Gang Takedown in ‘Operation Chalkline’
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN — The FBI Milwaukee Division has announced the results of “Operation Chalkline,” a sweeping multi-year investigation that dismantled a violent Wisconsin street gang with direct links to a major international drug cartel.
The coordinated effort led to 22 arrests on federal charges and 24 federal search warrants executed across southeastern Wisconsin, according to an FBI press release issued Thursday.
Massive Drug and Firearm Seizures Across Milwaukee and Racine
During the large-scale enforcement action, agents and officers seized:
- Over 4 kilograms of cocaine
- 260 grams of fentanyl
- 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine
- 6 pounds of marijuana
- 23 firearms
- Three vehicles
The FBI said the takedown targeted a long-running criminal enterprise operating in Milwaukee and Racine, with operations extending beyond state lines through cartel connections.
Operation Led by Multi-Agency Task Force
The investigation was spearheaded by a Mount Pleasant Police Department task force officer working within the FBI Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Task Force.
That joint unit also includes officers from the:
- Caledonia Police Department
- Racine County Sheriff’s Office
- Racine Police Department
Support for the operation came from 14 SWAT teams and an array of partner agencies, including:
- Cudahy Police Department
- Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
- Oak Creek and West Allis Police Departments
- Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation
- Wisconsin State Patrol
- ATF, DEA, HSI, and U.S. Marshals Service
FBI: Priority on Reducing Violent Crime in Wisconsin
“Operation Chalkline demonstrates our ongoing commitment to crushing violent crime and keeping Wisconsin communities safe,” the FBI Milwaukee Division said in its statement.
Authorities described the gang as responsible for violent offenses, drug trafficking, and weapons smuggling, emphasizing that the arrests represent one of the most significant gang crackdowns in southeastern Wisconsin in recent years.
The FBI and partner agencies said they will continue coordinated efforts to disrupt gang activity and cartel-linked drug operations throughout the state.
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