I think this was the previous bust on the CVLs up until now:
May 10, 2001
Surrounded by the spoils of the drug trade--luxury automobiles, jewelry, cash and a small arsenal--Chicago police Wednesday said they had broken one of the West Side's largest white heroin operations with the arrests of several drug and gang leaders.
The 8-month investigation included FBI and IRS agents and was launched in North Lawndale last fall after the slaying of a leader of the Conservative Vice Lords, a faction of one of the city's largest street gangs.
In all, police have arrested 14 people, and warrants have been issued for three more suspects. All have been charged with criminal drug conspiracy, which carries a mandatory sentence of 6 to 30 years in prison, said Cmdr. Eugene Williams of the Narcotics and Gang Investigations Section.
Listed as the key arrests were Reginald Smith, 29, who police say was the chief supplier of the heroin, and his brother, Marco "Shorty" Smith, 23, who allegedly ran the day-to-day drug sales, totaling about $5 million a year, in the 1600 block of South Harding Avenue.
The others arrested include alleged drug runners as well as men and women who helped store the heroin, package it, and deal it on the streets, police said.
In what police say has become commonplace, the key players in the operation were not all from the same street gang, with dealers "renting" street corners from Conservative Vice Lords boss Elbert "Pierre" Mahone.
Police believe that Marco Smith, for instance, was "blessed" by Mahone to run the heroin operation on South Harding even though Smith belonged to the Black Disciples street gang.
Another suspect, Marques Johnson, 23, is the alleged leader of the Unknown Outlaw Vice Lords. Police said he was allowed to run a smaller heroin operation nearby.
Mahone was kidnapped off the street Sept. 29 near Penn Elementary School at 1616 S. Avers Ave. Police found his body later that day near 26th Street and Komensky Avenue. They believe he was shot by another gang looking for a cut of his lucrative drug business.
At the time of Mahone's death, police said, the operation he gave to Marco Smith along Harding was a $15,000-a-day business.
After his murder, community leaders demanded that police step up their presence in the neighborhood. Of particular concern was an area known as Holy City--bounded by Pulaski Road, Homan Avenue, Douglas Boulevard and Cermak Road--where the Vice Lords Nation had its start.
Increased police patrols helped cut drug sales to about $3,000 a day, police sources said. Of that, about $2,000 a month was allegedly paid to Mahone's widow.
But the potential for violence was still considered high. So police said they began surveillance on Charles Hill, a Gangster Disciple who had a close relationship with Mahone and who was later killed by his own gang. The investigation was run by Sgt. Robert Grapenthien, who in the past has played key roles in federal investigations targeting the Traveling Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples that netted dozens of indictments.
During the surveillance, police learned about Marco Smith's heroin operation and conducted several undercover buys, the sources said. They also learned of Marques Johnson's operation.
Police said the 17 arrests have been made since early May. When alleged drug supplier Reginald Smith was arrested May 3, police seized three vehicles, including a Range Rover with a secret compartment for drugs or weapons, a 2000 Mitsubishi and a 1999 Mercedes with $18,000 inside. Police also seized $111,000 in cash, furs, computers, Jet Skis, motorcycles and Rolex and Cartier watches.
