Mississippi Authorities Crack Down on Border-Related Crimes

Operation Overload leads to hundreds of charges, arrests of illegal immigrants

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi Scott Leary announced details of a recent multiagency operation, dubbed Operation Overload, that resulted in hundreds of citations, drug and firearm charges, and the arrest of 16 illegal foreign nationals. Leary said the operation is just the beginning of a statewide effort to combat the influx of cheap drugs and violent crime stemming from the porous southern border.

Why it matters

Mississippi law enforcement has stepped up to address border-related crimes after feeling a lack of federal support in the past. This coordinated crackdown aims to disrupt drug trafficking and violent offenses that have plagued communities, often stemming from illegal immigration and the open southern border.

The details

Operation Overload, led by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and involving over a dozen local, state, and federal agencies, resulted in 793 citations, 51 illegal drug and firearm charges, and 23 non-drug firearm charges. The operation also led to the arrest of 16 illegal foreign nationals who were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Similar targeted border crime operations have been ongoing in Texas and Florida, but this represents a new effort for Mississippi law enforcement to replicate statewide.

  • Operation Overload was recently concluded.
  • The agencies have since launched Operation Reload to sustain enforcement efforts.

The players

Scott Leary

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi who announced details of Operation Overload.

Jason Herring

Lee County District Attorney who said the operation was about "standing up for" law-abiding citizens and "dismantling drug dealers and traffickers."

Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Tupelo Division

Leading the follow-up Operation Reload to sustain enforcement efforts.

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What they’re saying

“Beginning in 2020, our borders opened up and drugs spilled into this country. Law enforcement saw the price of methamphetamine drop 80%, fentanyl pills that used to cost 30 bucks a pill now cost dollars, and our young people paid the price. Cartels moved in. They flooded our streets with drugs. They took our money and they killed our children.”

— Scott Leary, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi (The Center Square)

“Operation Overload was launched in response to the voices of our citizens, law abiding men and women who live work and raise families in these communities and who deserve safe neighborhoods and effective law enforcement. From the start, this effort has been about standing up for those citizens, and about dismantling drug dealers and traffickers who choose to operate in our communities.”

— Jason Herring, Lee County District Attorney (The Center Square)

What’s next

The agencies have since launched Operation Reload 'to sustain enforcement efforts and remain proactive and protecting our communities' led by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Tupelo Division.

The takeaway

This coordinated crackdown on border-related crimes in Mississippi represents a new statewide effort by local law enforcement to address the influx of cheap drugs and violent crime stemming from the porous southern border, after feeling a lack of federal support in the past.