ATF’s “Operation Showdown” Nets Dozens of Arrests in South Florida Gun and Drug Bust

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

USA, June 28, 2025 – In a sweeping effort to dismantle violent crime networks, the ATF Miami Field Division has announced the results of Operation Showdown, a two-month, multi-agency enforcement initiative targeting repeat offenders in South Florida.

Led by ATF and supported by federal and local partners, the crackdown resulted in the arrest of 31 individuals from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties on federal firearms and narcotics trafficking charges.

Launched in April, Operation Showdown brought in ATF personnel from across the country to collaborate with agencies like the DEA, Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, and local sheriff’s departments. The joint operation seized 80 firearms—including automatic weapons and machine gun conversion devices—900 rounds of ammunition, and approximately 10 kilograms of illegal drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and crack.

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne emphasized the urgency of the initiative: “Drugs and guns continue to fuel the violence that threatens the safety of our community. Through these arrests and seizures, we are sending a clear message: crime will not define South Florida.”

Acting ATF Miami Special Agent in Charge Gordon Mallory praised the operation’s success and ongoing commitment to public safety, saying, “This initiative delivered long-term results. We’re targeting those who use and traffic firearms and drugs with the full force of the law.”

Operation Showdown forms part of the broader Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.