PGPD Honored with Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service

Prince George’s County, Maryland… Members of the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Gang Unit were honored with the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service during the Attorney General’s 59th Annual Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.


On October 19, 2011, Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. presented Chief of Police Mark A. Magaw, Captain Milburne Lynn, Sergeant Henry Norris, Detective Felipe Ordono, and Detective Jose Febles-Torres with the award for their service during Operation Mano Dura. This multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency operation was overseen by the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Prince George’s County Police Department and La Policia Nacional Civial, El Salvador.

Lasting more than two years, Operation Mano Dura resulted in the arrest and successful prosecution of the leaders of three major cliques of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) that were operating in Maryland. Prosecutions yielded twenty-five guilty pleas and nine guilty verdicts in Federal Court; seven of the defendants received life sentences. According to the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Operation Mano Dura has become the blueprint for future gang investigations and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) prosecutions in the District of Maryland.

For more information, contact the Prince George’s County Press Information Office at (301) 772-4710.