CHICAGO — Some 35 members of a West Side drug operation sold large amounts of heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs, then used the proceeds to buy more than $1.6 million in properties across the city — including some they rented to tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Johnny "Goo" Herndon, 55, the alleged leader of a Gangster Disciples faction, was one of those taken in during a mass arrest Thursday morning.
Prosecutors said Herndon's organization controlled a drug spot in the 300 block of South Kilbourn Avenue and another in the 4400 block of West Congress Avenue. There, gang members sold on average 540 quarter-gram rocks of crack cocaine a day for $10 each or 135 grams of crack for $5,400 a day, prosecutors said.
Herndon also sold heroin and crack wholesale to other Gangster Disciples members and customers in Chicago and Indiana. More than four kilograms of crack — generating about $162,000 — were sold each month, prosecutors said.
Herndon used proceeds from the drug sales to buy 31 properties in Chicago and the surrounding area, spending more than $1 million outright without mortgages since 1993, prosecutors said. Many of the properties have been rehabbed, and some were rented out — including to renters using Section 8 vouchers— generating more than $20,000 a month for Herndon, according to the news release.
A number of people who sold for or bought drugs from Herndon were also arrested during the Thursday sweep, including Christopher Harris, "the day-to-day manager of Herndon's organization," prosecutors said.
In March and June, authorities heard Harris direct that guns be brought to him, prosecutors said. On one occasion, on June 7, authorities believe the guns were to be used to retaliate for the shooting death of a Gangster Disciples member in the 4400 block of West Jackson Boulevard, prosecutors said.
Before any retaliation could take place, Harris was stopped by police and caught with a .357 revolver, prosecutors said, and on Thursday he was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun.
During the arrests, police seized three guns, about $10,000 and more than a half-kilogram of heroin, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Arrests for conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine were:
- Johnny Herndon, 55
- Christopher Harris, 34 (also charged with gun possession)
- Jonathan Green, 27
- Fabian Redmond, 28
- Jonathan O'Leary, 30
- Antwaion Edwards, 39
- Marcus Longstreet, 29
- Manuel Meeks, 41
- Cauirence Herndon, 34
- Deshawn Richardson, 21
- Andrew Jones, 31
- Patricia Neal, 35
Also arrested in the sweep were:
- Keshaw Euell, 40
- Robert Smith, 59
- Darryl Jones, 48
- Mildred Smith, 59
- Harry Smith, 30
- Darven Marion, 46
- Eduardo Zamudio, 27
- Robert Russell, 48
- Jose Escalara, 43
- Lanoris Holman, 48
- Derrick Hughes, 53
- Arturo Lara, 54
- Sammie Lockhart, 58
- Pamera Long, 42
- Charles Markese, 57
- Russell Moravec, 49
- Deangelo Percy, 34
- Earl Smith, 28
- Shawn Smith, 46
- Shauntah Langford, 32
- Gene McCaulley, 34
- Jerrold Sanders, 44
- Michael Stokes, 29
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
