US authorities charge 76 Georgia residents with gun, drug crimes

The concept of using a tax incentive to spur safer firearm storage gained broader appeal in Georgia after a gun rights advocacy group, GA2A, came out in support of a Democrat-sponsored bill that would create a $300 income tax credit for safe storage devices. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Federal authorities announced a blitz of arrests and indictments Wednesday against more than 100 people charged with gun and drug crimes in three U.S. states.

The flurry of charges from the Justice Department in Georgia, West Virginia and New York comes as federal officials work to combat an uptick in violent crime, particularly involving guns. The Biden administration has tried to showcase federal, state and local efforts to get guns and repeat shooters off the streets.

Federal prosecutors and FBI agents were particularly busy in southern Georgia, where an indictment was unsealed charging 76 people with involvement in what authorities called a gang-related network that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and other illegal drugs. Authorities called it the largest indictment ever filed in the 43-county Southern District of Georgia.