DES MOINES, Iowa — Following the sentencing of 17 people in a federal investigation of firearm trafficking and drug distribution, the Des Moines Police Department warns young adults against mishandling weapons.

On Wednesday, the final defendant in a 17-defendant gang investigation which involved the Only My Brothers (OMB) street gang, was sentenced to federal prison. OMB’s members and associates engaged in various criminal activities in an attempt to earn and maintain respect in a metro neighborhood.

These activities include attempted murder, at least 30 gang-related shootings, distribution of more than 22 kilograms of fentanyl, and several armed convenience store robberies in Des Moines.

These actions led the Des Moines Police Department to open an investigation, eventually leading to a federal case and several arrests. Following Wednesday’s verdict, Des Moines Police says finishing this case has brought them pride, but that the work is never done.

“We’ll do a big case like this. We get a lot of people off the street, things quiet down for a while, but unfortunately, there’s always somebody who’s looking to fill that void,” said DMPD Sergeant Parizek.

A majority of the individuals involved in the investigation are young adults, which DMPD says reflects the concerning number of young adults obtaining weapons.

“This is kind of consistent with a trend we’ve seen for several years with the number of young people and their access to firearms. And, you know, we’re really good at the intervention and suppression part, and these cases show that we’re going to arrest you, we’ll put you in prison,” said Parizek. “This starts, the prevention piece, starts at home, we need to make sure that as a community, we’re really emphasizing that.”

Des Moines Police say they recover around 600 guns each year, with around 90 being connected to the case. Of the guns recovered, police say more and more are coming in with modifications.

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of guns that we’ve recovered that are equipped with the switch that turns guns from a semiautomatic weapon to an automatic weapon,” said Parizek. “That gives them the capability of firing dozens of rounds a second. And that’s credibly dangerous in a neighborhood.”

The Des Moines Police says that the best prevention is presence and education.

“We do what we can to make sure that we’re sending a strong message that I wouldn’t take the chance because there’s a long prison sentence that comes with this and we are also making sure that we’re present in those neighborhoods that need to see us the most,” said Parizek.

According to Sergeant Parizek, the Des Moines Police Department is going to continue working with federal agencies to address the rising number of young adults mishandling and modifying guns in the metro area.