FORT WORTH, TX – Eighteen defendants pled guilty last week to federal charges stemming from “Operation Showdown,” a June 2025 law enforcement initiative targeting violent crime in Fort Worth, officials announced.
The guilty pleas were entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton, joining eight others who previously pled guilty in late July and early August. Charges include assaults on federal agents and the unlawful possession and trafficking of firearms and illegal drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Sentences for those pleading guilty are expected to range from 10 to 40 years in federal prison. Four additional defendants are scheduled to plead guilty this Wednesday.
Operation Showdown, a multi-agency effort conducted over two months, resulted in the federal arrests of 56 defendants and 20 additional state arrests in Tarrant County. The initiative was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with participation from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fort Worth Police Department, Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
The operation is part of the nationwide “Operation Take Back America,” designed to combat violent crime, dismantle transnational criminal organizations, and coordinate federal resources to protect communities.
Officials emphasized that pending charges against remaining defendants are allegations, and all are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
