NEW ORLEANS, LA — On Monday of this week, The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office provided a public update on its next steps building on the success of “Operation Big Easy”, a sweeping multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation focused on weapons and narcotics in the region. “Operation Big Easy” made momentous strides in disrupting organized crime, resulting in 41 indictments and the confiscation of over 70 firearms.
The DA’s office has successfully shuttered a problematic business establishment that has long been associated with criminal activity. DA’s office has shut down 1201 Bienville St., also known as the New Image Market and the prior proprietor has been mandated to renounce all claims to the property.
District Attorney Williams emphasized the methodical strategy behind the effort, stating, “This is ‘chess, not checkers’. This operation was a checkmate in a single board-clearing move. It took out Kings, Knights, Bishops, and Rooks at one time. This is what being progressive looks like. Being smart on crime, by not only making key arrests that will be aggressively prosecuted but also going after and targeting the sites and hubs for criminal activity. This is truly crime prevention, which leads to our ultimate goal of creating a safer city.”
One former NOPD officer said that the location has been a hotbed of criminal activity since 1982, when he was assigned to the area and the site had never relented until now.
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