Local drug sweep charges 36 with variety of offenses involving drugs and weapons

August 13, 2015 1:30 PM

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EDWARDSVILLE - A total of 36 suspects were charged with felony offenses ranging from unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.

The past few months, narcotics officers have conducted numerous undercover purchases of heroin to combat the growing problem with open air drug sales throughout the Metro East.

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Some suspects were charged with federal conspiracy charges.

The combined agencies working on the joint effort were:

Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI)
St. Clair County Drug Tactical Unit (DUT)
Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office
Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office

The stats from the recent joint effort are:

Firearms (11 seized)
heroin (75 grams)
suspects (36 suspects in Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties)
distribution of heroin (29, 3 enhanced by being within 1,000 feet of a protected area, 4 charged federally)
maintaining a drug premise (3)
firearm related offenses (7)

The overdose data was:

St. Louis Overdose deaths in 2013: 51 cocaine and 236 heroin deaths.

St. Clair County Overdose deaths in 2014: 47.

Madison County Overdose Deaths: 2014: 94.

Derek Wise, the Illinois State Police Nacotics Commander for Zone 6 Investigations, said all the overdose deaths are preventable. He also said he is glad to see the 36 people charged with their particular crimes and hopes soon all are apprehended.

“This does have an impact as we try to prosecute the mid-level drug dealers,” he said of the charges and hopefully subsequent arrests. We still have several fugitives out there.”

Recently, Wise said the state put out a report saying that there are children as young as 12 years old using illegal drugs.

Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn has been a proactive voice on the drug overdose and heroin front for a long period of time, working unified with other Madison County officials.

He said the Treatment Education and Enforcement initiative is what the group is working together on.

“The enforcement part of the three branch effect is to get this under control, trying to get addicted people in facilities where they can be treated,” he said. “We need more beds available and more counseling available. On the education side, the last three years we have been reaching out to high school and middle school students. In regard to enforcement, part of what happened yesterday is we collect as much information as we can from crime scenes and this information is used to pursue people who delivered the drugs.”

Nonn said it is a matter of gathering intelligence information on those arrested on charges and giving up their sources, along with going to death scenes and downloading things off people’s phones.

“This information was shared with law enforcement to help bring the dealers to justice,” he added.

Wise was asked what he thought would motivate someone to become a narcotics pusher, other than money, knowing how it destroys lives. He said in simple words: “I can’t imagine what would be the incentive for someone to do it,” he said.

If the public has any information on pending arrests, contact the U.S. Marshals Office at 618-482-9236.

Below are the 36 suspects charged with felony offenses ranging from unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.