Mother and Son Among Five Charged in Englewood Drug Sweep

Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by Jody P. Weis, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), in announcing the arrest today of three suspected members or associates of the Gangster Disciples street gang. A fourth suspect was already in custody on unrelated charges, while a fifth defendant eluded capture and remains at-large.

All of those arrested today were taken into custody at various locations in Chicago, without incident, by members of the FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs and Officers from the CPD. All five were charged in one of two separate criminal complaints, filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, with Distribution of a Controlled Substance (crack cocaine) which is a felony offense.

According to the complaints, all of those charged were alleged to have been involved in the wholesale distribution and/or sale of crack cocaine on Chicago’s south side since at least October of 2007. The primary areas from which they are alleged to have distributed illicit drugs were the 4800 block of South Paulina and the 5100 block of South Hermitage, both in the Englewood area of Chicago.

Those arrested today, who are all from Chicago, are identified as JERMAINE GREEN, age 35, of 894 North Sacramento; BRENDA MASON, age 51, of 4931 South Wood Street; and JUAN RENTERIA, age 39, of 5758 South Sacramento. A fourth defendant, PARIS HARRIS, was in federal custody on unrelated charges while a fifth defendant, ESSEX MASON, aka “E-Dubb”, age 25, also of 4931 South Wood in Chicago, avoided capture and is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

The lengthy investigation leading to the filing of the charges announced today, code named operation “Silver Ticket,” is part of an ongoing and coordinated effort by local, state, and federal authorities to identify and dismantle the many highly organized drug trafficking organizations operating in and around the Chicago metropolitan area. This investigation employed the extensive use of sophisticated physical surveillance techniques, the controlled purchase of illicit drugs and the court authorized electronic interception of telephone conversations involving the defendants. 

The CPD’s Gang Investigations Section and 9th District Tactical Teams participated in the arrests and provided invaluable assistance during the investigation.

In announcing these arrests, Mr. Grant recognized the FBI’s continued partnership with the Chicago Police Department in combating violent street gangs. Said Mr. Grant, “Without the expertise and intimate knowledge of gang operations that Chicago Police investigators offer, it would be almost impossible to achieve the results announced today.”

Superintendent Weis added, “This investigation shows our continued commitment to working with our Federal law enforcement partners in pursuing gang and drug activity, and minimizing its effect on the residents of Chicago.”

All of those arrested appeared before Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow in Chicago, earlier today, at which time they were formally charged. They were ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court appearance and will be housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago. If convicted of the charges filed against them, all five defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years' incarceration to a maximum of life in prison.

The Chicago FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs is comprised of FBI special agents and officers from the Chicago Police Department.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaints filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.