On Feb. 28, Illinois authorities arrested eight men and a juvenile male on multiple drug and weapons charges. The defendants are all alleged members of the La Raza street gang in DuPage County.
According to media reports, ATF and DEA agents took the defendants into custody following a series of raids conducted between 6 a.m. and noon. Three of the defendants, ages 23, 29 and 41, were charged with a single count of felony delivery of a controlled substance, and a 33-year-old defendant was charged with two counts of felony delivery of a controlled substance. A 24-year-old defendant was charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member, felony criminal damage to property and two misdemeanors. A 26-year-old defendant was charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm and felony unlawful possession of body armor, and an 18-year-old defendant was charged with two counts of felony criminal damage to property and one misdemeanor count of criminal defacement of property. Finally, a 22-year-old defendant was charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owners Identification card and one count of possession of ammunition without a FOID card.
The bail set for the defendants ranged from $2,000 to $225,000. The juvenile male was released into his parent’s custody. All nine defendants are scheduled to appear in court on March 16.
An individual facing drug charges could help their situation by contacting a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Under some circumstances, legal counsel might be able to develop a strong defense to the accusations, resulting in the charges getting dismissed. In other cases, the attorney may recommend negotiating a plea deal in hopes of reducing the charges. This strategy might help the defendant obtain a lighter sentence.
