Authorities launch 'interagency operation' at federal prison in New York housing Sean 'DD' Combs

NEW YORK (AP) — Investigators from several federal agencies launched an “interagency operation” Monday into New York City's troubled lockup where Sean “DD” Combs being held

Investigators from the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General and other law enforcement agencies descended on the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Monday, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The law enforcement operation is “designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for our staff and the individuals incarcerated at MDC Brooklyn,” the agency said. Prison officials declined to provide specific details about the raid Monday morning.

But the action comes as a prison Faced with increasing scrutiny over the appalling conditionsAmid widespread violence and multiple deaths and a crackdown by the Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons To solve the jail problem And the perpetrators must be held accountable.

last month, Federal prosecutors charged nine inmates The Metropolitan Detention Center, New York City's only federal prison, has been linked to assaults from April to August. The allegations came to light last month over serious safety and security issues at the prison, including allegations that two inmates were stabbed to death and another was stabbed in the spine with a makeshift icepick. A corrections officer was also charged with shooting into a vehicle during an unauthorized high-speed chase.

The criminal charges provided a window into the violence and dysfunction that has plagued the jail, which houses about 1,200 people, including Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange.

In a statement Monday, the Bureau of Prisons said its operation in Brooklyn was premeditated and there was “no active threat.”

The agency said it would not release additional details Monday about exactly what investigators were doing until the operation is complete “in an effort to maintain the safety and security of all personnel within the facility and the integrity of this operation.”

The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, houses about 1,200 inmates, up from more than 1,600 in January. It is primarily used for post-arrest detention of people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve shorter sentences after convictions.

Inmates at Brooklyn prisons have long complained of rampant violence, appalling conditions, severe staff shortages and rampant smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of which was facilitated by employees. At the same time, they say they are subjected to frequent lockdowns and are prevented from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.