LEWISTON – Special teams of police and drug agents were back on the streets Thursday night as part of an ongoing effort to curtail a recent spate of crime.

Four people were arrested and police said they seized 38 grams of crack and other drugs, along with $5,000 cash as a result of the overnight sweep.

Starting in the early evening and continuing past midnight, Lewiston police, Maine Drug Enforcement agents and others moved from neighborhood to neighborhood, conducting search warrants and stopping suspect vehicles.

Charged with unlawful drug trafficking were Lewiston men: Stephen Kunz, 24; David Raymond Levesque, 22; and Johnny Santiago Garcia, 26.

Also arrested in the sweep was Roger Mercier, 44, of Lewiston, who was charged with violating conditions of release.

Police say the operation was not the beginning nor the end of this summertime effort to combat violent crime and drug dealing.

Dubbed Project Hot Spot, it’s a police effort concentrating mainly on downtown Lewiston, although the team of agents and cops were seen in Auburn and on the outskirts of Lewiston on Thursday night.

In an effort to respond to multiple shootings since mid-May, the Police Department is collaborating with state, county, and federal agencies to introduce “hot spot” policing, which combines community outreach, greater police presence and aggressive prosecution of violators.

Police said drug trafficking and possession of illegal firearms are contributing to the recent wave of violence.

Throughout the summer, Lewiston residents will see and hear from police and drug agents directly, on the street and at community meetings.

Police said as they move through the Lewiston neighborhoods, some residents have come outside to thank them for their efforts.

The agencies participating include Lewiston, Auburn and Lisbon police departments, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Central Maine Violent Crime Task Force, Maine Probation and Parole and the U.S. Probation Office.