Federal, state and local law enforcement are teaming up to create a new drug and organized crime task force in Missouri. U.S. attorneys for the region announced the Gateway Strike Force on Tuesday.
Officials say the goal is to work together to fight drug trafficking, murders and other crime committed by gangs and cartels in the St. Louis area, both in Missouri and in nearby Illinois.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Delworth told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the strike force will get $600,000 upfront. He says the strike force also has greater access to tracking devices, wiretaps and undercover agents.