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‘Operation Tin Panda Takedown’ nets dozens involved with drugs, gangs

WASHINGTON  — A coordinated federal-local crackdown on drugs and violent crime in Northern Virginia last year has resulted in dozens of convictions.

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“Operation Tin Panda Takedown” involved over 300 law enforcement officials, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Virginia’s eastern district. It targeted gangs and other drug distribution involved in such crimes as homicide, shootings, firearms distribution and malicious wounding.

Over 40 were arrested. Seized in the operation were more than 95 firearms; 3 pounds of cocaine base; 10 pounds of cocaine; 7 pounds of crystal meth; 5 pounds of heroin; 4 pounds of ecstasy; 227 pounds of marijuana; 79 pounds of THC; $150,000 in cash; and nine vehicles valued at over $300,000.

Twelve have been sentenced to terms ranging from 27 months to 15 years. The rest await sentencing this summer, with some facing mandatory minimum sentences of up to 40 years.

Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal. In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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