From the U.S. Attorney:
Eight Defendants Charged in Federal Drug Trafficking Probe Targeting Fentanyl and Cocaine Sales in Chicago
CHICAGO — A federal investigation has resulted in federal drug and firearm charges against eight individuals for allegedly trafficking fentanyl and cocaine on the South Side of Chicago.
An indictment unsealed Friday in federal court in Chicago accuses the eight defendants of conspiring to traffic fentanyl and cocaine from March 2023 to July 2024.
During the conspiracy, the defendants used a residence in the 2000 block of West 69th Place in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago to carry out their illicit activities, the indictment states.
The defendants possessed loaded handguns while engaged in their drug trafficking crimes, the indictment states.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized distribution quantities of suspected fentanyl-laced heroin and crack cocaine, as well as more than a dozen firearms and associated ammunition.
Charged with federal drug and firearm offenses are PATRICK TUCKER, 33, THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, 29, DARIUS JOHNSON, 23, KYWANTE SHUMAKE, 26, KEONTIS SHUMAKE, 23, KAMARI ROSS, 26, DREQUAN BASS, 26, and LACOLA WILLIAMS, 26, all of Chicago.
The charges in the indictment carry a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Tucker and Cunningham also face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, while the others face a mandatory minimum of ten years.
The defendants were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen B. McCurry and Michael Maione.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement against criminal networks.
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.
