CHICAGO —(ENEWSPF)–November 10, 2016. Two Chicago men have been charged with federal drug and firearm violations for allegedly selling heroin out of a backyard in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
DIANTE DAVIS and MARKIEASE COUSINS were arrested on Oct. 17, 2016, after they sold four zip-lock bags of heroin to an undercover law enforcement officer in the backyard of a residence in the 3400 block of West Lexington Avenue in Chicago, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. After purchasing the heroin, the undercover officer turned to leave, but Davis called him back and pointed a handgun in the officer’s face, the complaint states. Davis accused the officer of working for law enforcement, saying “You’re probably recording me right now,” according to the complaint.
As it turned out, the drug deal was indeed surreptitiously videotaped by law enforcement, according to the complaint. Davis and Cousins were placed under arrest shortly thereafter, the complaint states. The undercover officer was not harmed.
Davis, 27, and Cousins, 19, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Davis is scheduled to make an initial appearance on Nov. 10, 2016, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox. Cousins is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on Nov. 14, 2016, before Judge Cox.
The complaint was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Dennis A. Wichern, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. The Illinois State Police assisted in the investigation, which was conducted with the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Chicago Strike Force and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA).
According to the complaint, when Davis was taken into custody he was found to be in possession of a second firearm and additional zip-lock bags of narcotics. Some of the drugs contained a mix of heroin and fentanyl, while some was cocaine, the complaint states.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the firearm count is punishable by a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of life. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Hogstrom.
Source: http://justice.gov
