Feds charge 10 reputed West Side gang members with running drug markets, seize weapons and drugs

Ten reputed members of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang have been charged in U.S. District Court with running open-air drug markets that distributed cocaine and fentanyl-laced heroin on Chicago’s West Side.

The joint operation by Chicago police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security led to the seizure of four rifles, four handguns, a MAC-10 submachine gun, a shotgun, and more than 450 rounds of ammunition, as well as “multiple” kilograms of narcotics, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Charged with federal drug conspiracy are: Nathaniel Evans, 38, of Aurora; Jarelle Jones, 24, of Forest Park; Marquis Jones, 29, of Chicago; Devontay Logan, 27, of Chicago; Joseph Williams, 31, of Chicago; Dornell Williams, 34, of Chicago; Teremius Webb, 25, of Chicago; Antonio Fletcher, 40, of Chicago; Kyle Linton, 25, of Chicago; and Maurice Bell, 40, of Chicago.

According to the charges, Evans directed the drug trafficking operation and supervised the three open-air markets in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

His underlings allegedly worked as “shift managers,” overseeing drug sales at the illegal markets at various times of the day, while others charged in the scheme picked up narcotics from suppliers and collected illicit proceeds after the sales.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors are asking that all 10 federal defendants be held without bond pending trial. Detention hearings for those seeking bond have been scheduled for next week at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.

More than 20 other people were charged with state drug offenses in the Circuit Court of Cook County as part of the same operation.

U.S. Attorney John Lausch and several federal and local law enforcement officials are scheduled to hold a news conference announcing the takedown this afternoon.

The Four Corner Hustlers are among Chicago’s oldest and most notorious gangs, one that for decades ruled the drug trade on the West Side by robbing competitors, killing rivals and terrorizing the community.

Last year, the gang’s longtime leader, Labar Spann, 43, was convicted in November of racketeering conspiracy alleging he directed or participated in four murders as well as a number of robberies and extortions over the course of two decades. He’s facing mandatory life in prison.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com