WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Guns, drugs, and money taken off the streets of West Palm Beach, and police said it's all tied to organized crime.
The joint organized crime operation announcement was made Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the 600 block of 54th Street in West Palm Beach.
Members of the West Palm Beach police, and the Office of State Attorney 15th Judicial Circuit, in addition to residents, spoke during Tuesday's news conference.
"The first week we moved in actually there was a shooting right out in front of my house," Withney Jean told WPTV. "And then two weeks later there was another."
WATCH: West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley speaks at Operation Blockbuster news conference
Jean moved into the Northwood Legacy neighborhood in West Palm Beach three years ago. Scary and stressful times considering she's a mother and has a household full of loved ones.
"My first email didn't really get answers," she said. "And so, the second round I emailed everyone all the way up to state like, hey guys something's going on here, we're paying taxes and we won't have it."
Not only did Jean get involved, but many of her fellow residents attended a press conference in West Palm Beach Tuesday.
Unbeknownst to them "Operation Blockbuster" had been in motion for years.
WATCH: West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James speaks at Operation Blockbuster news conference
Several agencies worked with the West Palm Beach police department on the operation, including the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and United States Marshals Service.
The bust targeted those accused of drugs and prostitution, while also removing as many illegal guns off the streets as possible.
"I was in a place where I didn't really see it and I knew people here in this neighborhood felt every bit of it, because they lived it every day," West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley said. "And I understood what their complaints were, and we responded to them."
WATCH: Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg speaks at Operation Blockbuster news conference
The bust led to 32 defendants, 29 arrests, and 16 of those in custody are facing up to 60 years in prison, because of RICO charges.
Paul Nelson and his wife own Northwood Funeral Home in the community. He said he hopes the bust is not a one-time thing.
"I think having a presence here is deterring a lot of what we're seeing on a day-to-day basis," he said.
Jean said the arrest brings hope.
"We may not see it right away, but the results now speak for themselves," she said.
Adderley said the drug of choice in West Palm Beach is fentanyl.
