CHICAGO — An undercover Chicago police officer working with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration laid out a harrowing tale of buying fentanyl-laced heroin from a drug dealer who suspected he was undercover and pulled a gun on the West Side.
In court papers charging Diante Davis and Markiease Cousins with drug and gun crimes, the undercover officer described how, while wearing a hidden video camera and buying $40 worth of heroin, one of the men got suspicious.
It played out at 1:20 p.m. Oct. 17 near the intersection of St. Louis and Lexington streets in the city's Lawndale neighborhood, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The officer, assigned to the DEA, was part of a crew investigating drug sales in the neighborhood. Law enforcement in Chicago has stepped up investigation of the sale of heroin laced with fentanyl, a drug that makes the heroin far more potent and deadly.
After seeing some suspected drug buys, the undercover officer went to the intersection of Lexington and St. Louis, when a unknown man yelled out: "Go to the abandoned building and walk into the alley!!" according to a criminal complaint.
The undercover officer complied, walked through a gangway and ended up in an alley behind a building in the 3400 block of West Lexington, the complaint stated.
There were two men there — one who asked "how many?"
The officer said "four" and handed $40 through a wrought-iron fence. He got four packets of heroin with a blue dolphin logo in return.
Then Davis came through a gate holding a .38-caliber gun with six live rounds, according to the complaint.
This is how it played out, according to the complaint:
"Are you the police?" Davis asked.
"No," said the officer as Davis walked up.
"You're from [the police station at] Homan and Fillmore!" Davis yelled, raising his gun and pointing it at the officer.
"No man!! I'm cool," said the officer as he began to walk backward.
"You're probably recording me right now," said Davis.
"No man, I'm cool!!!! I'm cool!!!! I'm cool!!!" the officer replied, raising his hands and walking backward.
When the officer reached the mouth of the alley, he turned onto St. Louis and notified fellow officers.
Those officers responded, going to the backyard where the drug sale took place. The men were gone, so police went into the vestibule of 719-721 S. St. Louis, found Cousins and arrested him, the complaint said.
They went up the stairs and found Davis on the landing. He had on him the .38-caliber gun, a second gun with eight live rounds, 22 bags of suspected heroin with blue dolphin logos, 15 baggies of crack cocaine and the $40 in marked bills the undercover officer gave him earlier, according to the complaint.
They were arrested and charged with conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally distribute a controlled substance and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
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