Seven Individuals Charged in Drug and Firearm Investigation Centered on South Side of Chicago
A drug and firearm investigation centered on the South Side of Chicago has resulted in federal criminal charges against seven individuals.
A superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago accuses the seven defendants of participating in a criminal conspiracy that utilized armed security to protect drug trafficking activities in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.
The law enforcement investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Chicago Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Marshals Service, targeted an open-air marijuana market in the 1200 block of West 73rd Place in Chicago.
Under the protection of the armed security, the defendants sold large quantities of marijuana in the area and stored drugs, guns, and cash in nearby houses, the indictment alleges.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 2,000 pounds of marijuana, approximately 81 firearms, including five assault-style rifles, approximately $425,000 in cash, and jewelry valued at approximately $300,000.
Charged with federal drug conspiracy are KEJUAN BRYANT, 31, of Chicago, JAMARI GOODMAN, 29, of Chicago, JOSEPH ALBERT HEATH, 32, of Chicago, MATTHEW FURDGE, 22, of Chicago, KEWANN WHITAKER, 32, of Chicago, IGOR DZE, 44, of Miami Beach, Fla., and KHIRY STRICKLAND, 34, of Lemont, Ill. Bryant faces an individual drug distribution count and is also charged, along with Goodman and Heath, with illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Most of the defendants were arrested last week and have made their initial appearances in federal court in Chicago.
In addition to the federal charges, 15 individuals were charged in state court as a result of this investigation.
The federal charges were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division, Larry Snelling, Superintendent of CPD, Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the USSS Chicago Field Office, and LaDon A. Reynolds, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA) and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Schied represents the government in the federal cases.
The federal superseding indictment is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, among other areas of focus. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The drug conspiracy charge is punishable by up to life in federal prison for Bryant, and up to forty years for Goodman, Furdge, Whitaker, Dze, and Strickland. The firearm charge against Bryant, Goodman, and Heath carries a maximum sentence of life, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years per defendant. The individual drug distribution count against Bryant is punishable by up to 20 years.
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