A large-scale FBI operation targeting a drug trafficking organization resulted in 32 narcotics and weapons-related arrests in West Virginia and Maryland, kicking off the agency’s national Summer Heat 2.0 effort.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office’s Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, in collaboration with West Virginia’s Homeland Security Task Force, conducted Operation Turf War on June 2.
The investigation began in August 2025 and focused on dismantling a drug trafficking organization operating in the region. Authorities stated the operation resulted in 32 arrests for narcotics and weapons charges.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine, about 110 pounds of marijuana, roughly two ounces of psychedelic mushrooms, between 5 and 10 grams of fentanyl, more than 20 firearms, ammunition, 29 cellular devices, and approximately $273,035 in cash.
The operation involved seven FBI SWAT teams from Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington, along with more than 100 FBI personnel and numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.
Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Attorney’s offices for the Northern District of West Virginia and the District of Maryland, the West Virginia Air National Guard, Maryland State Police, West Virginia State Police, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsburg Police Department, and several other agencies all assisted.
The FBI stated Operation Turf War was also the first large-scale deployment of its Rapid DNA system in the Pittsburgh field office’s jurisdiction. The technology allows investigators to develop a DNA profile from an arrestee’s mouth swab in about two hours and compare it against national databases.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the operation marks the beginning of Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a 95-day nationwide project aimed at lowering violent crime.
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