Charges against two Chicago men are serious, though law enforcement officials say the allegations could become much more serious. One of the men has been charged with felony drug offenses, including the manufacture or of heroin and possession of a controlled substance, according to Cook County court records.
But police officials said the men might be connected to a series of overdoses caused by a batch of fentanyl-laced heroin that left four people dead on Chicago’s West Side.
Law enforcement officials said the powerful heroin had caused at least 17 overdoses in the past two weeks and that the two men might be involved in its distribution.
One of the suspects, age 49, faces a half-dozen felony drug charges, police said. He allegedly sold heroin to undercover officers in three recent incidents and was reportedly found holding several bags of heroin and crack cocaine. He was recently arrested on West Division Street in Humboldt Park, officials said.
The other suspect, 47, of East Garfield Park, has been charged with simple assault after allegedly threatening someone in connection with the overdoses.
Police said the 17 recent drug overdoses – including four fatal overdoses – stem from sales of heroin tainted with fentanyl in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.
One overdose victim’s mother found him slumped over in the living room. She said she warned him repeatedly of the dangers of his drug use, but “he was 50 years old and there was nothing I could do about it.”
If you face drug trafficking charges or related allegations, speak with a Chicago criminal defense attorney before talking to investigators or prosecutors.