Drug arrests net 19

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Two Sikeston men are among the 19 arrested on a variety of federal firearms and drug trafficking offenses Tuesday.

Abbie Crites-Leoni, assistant U.S. attorney, confirmed that Steve Lott and Michael Robinson of Sikeston were among those arrested on federal charges of felony possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

The arrests are the result of a 14-month investigation targeting violent criminals in a number of Southeast Missouri communities along the Interstate 55 corridor including Sikeston, Caruthersville, Hayti, Hayti Height and Kennett as well as Blytheville, Ark., according to U.S. Attorney James G. Martin.

The arrests began at 6 a.m. Tuesday. A total of 25 federal arrest warrants will be executed as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is America's "network against gun violence" with the goal of "making America's communities safer," according to a press release.

"The most basic fundamental duty of our government is to ensure the safety of its citizens in their homes, in their communities, and on their streets," Martin said. "Today, more than 100 local, state and federal law enforcement officers have come together in Southeast Missouri in an effort to do just that."

Steve Lott

Steve Lott

Among those who took part were representatives from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety; the Bootheel Drug Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville and Kennett police departments.

Investigative efforts are continuing and additional arrests are expected.