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Over 1,000 Gang Members Arrested Under the Memphis Safe Task Force, U.S. Marshals Service Announces

by | Jun 1, 2026

Authorities operating under the Memphis Safe Task Force have recorded over 1,000 arrests of known gang members since the operation began last September, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced.

On Thursday, USMS, which serves as the head agency of the Memphis Safe Task Force, announced that the number of gang member arrests made so far make up 10 percent of the overall arrests since the initiative launched in the city.

The agency also reported that among gang members arrested on outstanding warrants or new criminal charges, homicide-related offenses accounted for 18 percent of the charges, while narcotics offenses represented 11 percent, and firearms-related offenses made up 10 percent.

USMS said arrestees classified as gang members all have a nexus to gang ties through either affiliation or membership.

“Ousting these gang members from their neighborhoods makes communities safer and gangs weaker,” Marshal Tyreece Miller, U.S. Marshal for the District of Western Tennessee, said in a statement. “The task force will continue to disrupt gang activity in Memphis by identifying, apprehending, and holding accountable those who pose a threat to public safety.”

According to USMS, there are nearly 50 gangs that operate in Memphis which contribute to “drug trafficking, firearms offenses, violent crimes such as assaults, robberies, homicides, and organized criminal activity including extortion, racketeering and turf conflicts,” all of which the agency said “have contributed to and fueled high rates of violent crime.”

In addition to surpassing the 1,000 gang member arrest mark, USMS said Friday that agencies operating under the Memphis Safe Task Force have so far logged over 9,628 arrests, including 84 for homicide, 1,061 for controlled substances, 914 for firearms violations, and 105 for sex offenses.

USMS said the task force has also seized more than 1,636 illegal firearms and located 150 missing children since the operation began.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Memphis Safe Task Force Patrol” by Tennessee National Guard.

 

 

   
This article may be republished only in its entirety and only with proper attribution to State News Foundation.

Written By Kaitlin Housler

Journalist
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