May 21, 2008 6:24 pm US/Central
28 Face Federal Charges In Drug Sting
Alleged South Side Leader Of Gangster Disciples Among Those Accused
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The leader of a notorious south side street gang is one of 20 people behind bars Wednesday, the end result of a year-long investigation into a drug ring authorities say took over a neighborhood block.
Federal agents and Cook County Sheriff's Police officers arrested the suspects and searched seven locations Wednesday morning.
Isaiah Hicks, 32, also known as "Cuz," "Big Cuz," "Rock" and "Chill Rock," was known to federal prosecutors as they leader of a South Side faction of the gangster disciples called the "5-4 Crew."
He was one of 20 defendants arrested for allegedly trafficking crack cocaine. Eight other suspects are still at large.
A 188-page affidavit describes how Hicks and the other suspects allegedly ran street sales of crack in the neighborhood bordered by West 54th Street, Garfield Boulevard, South Hoyne and Seeley Avenue.
"We haven't solved the war on drugs today. We haven't solved the war on violence in Chicago today, but at the same time, if you lived on that block on West 54th Street, it makes a big difference when that's your home," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said the investigation stretches back to April 2007. He says during the probe, an undercover ATF agent bought some 500 grams of crack from one of the defendants, and that wiretaps implicate hicks as the supplier in some of the deals.
"I look at it as weeds in a garden. You can't just pull the big weeds out and stop there. You need to go down all the way to the roots and every little weed that you can," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don Soranno. "You need to eradicate so you can clean that garden up."
The investigation also relied on a confidential informant, who claimed to be a Gangster Disciple member since he was about 13 and sold drugs in the vicinity of 54th and Hoyne since that age, according to a release.
Hicks' second in command, Kevin Masuca, is also named in the affidavit.
If convicted, each suspect faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty is life without parole and fines of up to $4 million.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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