16 People Charged in Connection with Crackdown on Southland Heroin Rings

A law enforcement investigation into two south suburban heroin distribution groups has led to the arrest of 13 people accused of working within the drug rings, and another three people charged are still being pursued.

The drug rings operated in Robbins and Harvey, however the associated dealing went beyond the two towns, as far as northern Indiana. In a news release, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart described the operations reaching “impoverished street corners to luxury subdivisions.”

The 12 people charged with federal crimes and four who received state charges included two Orland Park men, as well as people from Harvey, Lynwood, Midlothian, Robbins, Lansing, Markham, Sauk Village and Dyer, IN. Over the course of two-and-a-half years, the South Suburban Violent Crimes Task Force investigated the two groups, culminating on Monday, when arrest warrants were approved for the 16 people.

“The task force often works larger drug cases, since they are always connected with violent crimes,” Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy said. “These were sophisticated groups dealing large quantities of drugs. The effect these groups spread beyond just where the suspects lived. People were buying from them here in Orland Park all the way to northwest Indiana.”

One of the two federal complaints filed read that Jose Sandoval, 20, of the 2100 block of East 211th Street in Sauk Village, supplied heroin in half pounds and greater amounts to Nicholas Lacy, 32, of the 21500 block of Peterson Avenue also in Sauk Village. Lacy then separated the heroin into smaller bags weighing less than a gram, which were then sold by him and his associates, according to the complaint.  Lacy’s group sold heroin seven days a week near 138th and Kedvale in Robbins for about 13 hours a day, making up to $3,000 in a single day, the complaint said.

“One of the complaints alleges that one of the organizations moved a half-kilo a week over the course of a year,” FBI Special Agent Ross Rice said.

Lacy was also accused of selling large amounts of heroin to Eric Ridgner, 31, of the 3400 block of Orchid Drive in Dyer, Ind. Ridgner is accused of running a similar heroin-selling ring based out of Harvey.

“These were major suppliers with different levels of distribution all the way down to the streets,” McCarthy said. “It was very controlled and monitored, with their own security in place.”

Law enforcement are still looking for Marcus Gillespie, 21 of 14800 block of Edbrooke in Dolton, Resean Ridgner, 24, of the 16200 block of South Ashland in Markham and Desmond Scott, 20, of the 4100 block of West 138th Street in Robbins, who were all named in the federal complaints.

Officers from Orland Park and Joliet police departments along with FBI special agents and Cook County sheriff’s deputies worked on the investigation.

“We are pleased to have taken down a major operation,” McCarthy said. “Heroin has surfaced as one of the more dangerous drugs out there. As it becomes more and more prevalent, so do deaths from overdoses.”

The following people were charged with federal drug crimes:

• Candice Jeffries, 23, of the 15800 block of Lexington Avenue in Harvey
• Michael Knight, 44, of the 16009 block of South Halsted Avenue in Harvey
• Chaunice Loving, 28, of the 20100 block of Ash Lane in Lynwood
• Lawrence Scott, 30, of the 13700 block of Kildare in Midlothian
• Derrick Thigpen, 23, of the 4100 block of West Midlothian Turnpike in Robbins
• Cheronda Wallace, 24, of the 2200 block of East 175th Street in Lansing

The following people were charged with state crimes:

• Mildred Gassensmith, age 31, of 900 block of Campbell in Joliet
• Neil Lester, 30, of 16600 block of Beacon Lane in Orland Park
• Alexander Lys, 18, of the 500 block of Carla Drive in Shorewood
• William Woods, 26, of the 16900 block of Blue Heron Drive in Orland Park