WEST VIRGINIA — A large-scale FBI operation targeting a drug trafficking organization resulted in 32 narcotics- and weapons-related arrests across West Virginia and Maryland and launched the agency’s nationwide Summer Heat 2.0 initiative.
According to the FBI, Operation Turf War was carried out June 2 by the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office’s Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force in coordination with West Virginia’s Homeland Security Task Force.
The investigation began in August 2025 and focused on dismantling a drug trafficking organization operating in the region. Authorities said the operation led to 32 arrests involving drug and weapons offenses.
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.
Among the agencies assisting were Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. 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.
The FBI said Operation Turf War also marked the first large-scale deployment of its Rapid DNA system in the Pittsburgh field office’s area of responsibility. 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.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation serves as the opening effort of Operation Summer Heat 2.0, a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime over the next 95 days.
