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A federal gun sting in Illinois is having some impressive results, with over 40 suspects arrested. Federal agents have also seized 171 guns and 64 switches, conversion devices to make some firearms fully automatic. In the flurry of arrests, a few stand out.
ATF Takedown
On March 23, the FBI and CPD acted on a federal search warrant for a single-family home on South Claremont in Chicago. Through informants and surveillance, they identified this house as a central hub for gun trafficking and a base of the 31st and Morgan Satan’s Disciples gang. After investigating, the agents served the search warrant.
When federal agents beat on the door and announced their presence, no one came to the door. The agents allegedly had to force their way in and clear the first and second floors. They continued their search before finally finding two men hiding in the second-floor attic. They also found an unexpected guest.
According to the criminal complaint, the agents located a 16-year-old girl at the house. She told them she was a runaway who had been staying there after meeting someone named “Smokey” on Facebook. It was a wild raid.
Julian Torres, 19, and Brandon Osorio, 29, were taken into custody, and agents performed a deeper investigation of the home. In Torres’s bedroom, reports claim police found almost all of the switches. Of the 20 switches, they found 17 in a plastic bag at the foot of his bed. Police also retrieved 11 total firearms which consisted of 10 handguns and a rifle. This included a loaded handgun with an extended clip and other firearm accessories. The prosecutors tied the weapons and suspects to a larger operation.
During the detention hearing that followed, the Assistant U.S. Attorney explicitly linked the two men to the Satan’s Disciples. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirsten Moran argued that the house wasn’t just where they lived. They said it was a primary center for illegal guns and drug trafficking. It came out during the hearing that Torres had actually been arrested by CPD just a few weeks prior on March 10 for obstruction during a traffic stop, where he allegedly gave a fake name and address. The feds used his own signature on those pretrial release documents to prove he actually lived at the Claremont “hub.”
Both men are currently being held without bond because Judge Maria Valdez of Cook County ruled they were a “danger to the community.” Julian Torres and Brandon Osorio’s next court date is April 14. Each man is facing one federal count of Possession of a Machine Gun. More charges are likely to be added later as more evidence is collected. As previously noted, these arrests were only a small fraction of the larger investigation that caught at least 41 suspects believed to traffic weapons.
Other High-Stakes ATF Illinois Gun Sting Arrests
On April 2, an undercover ATF agent shot at three gun trafficking suspects in the parking lot of a Chicago Walmart. The agent and his team had met one of the men through Instagram after seeing an account advertising guns for sell. During the sting, one of the suspects allegedly attempted to rob an agent, leading to a shooting. No one was injured. Read the full case details here on TheReedersBlock.com. The accused in this case are Jeremy Jones, 19, Christopher Densmore, 22 and Carmell Massey, 20. They aren’t alone in making the news after being caught in this ATF Illinois gun sting.
Back in February on the 18th, agents arrested Matthew Barraza, 21, and Edwin Moreno, 27. After connecting online, Barraza met with an undercover officer to sell a “package deal.” He allegedly sold a loaded handgun that had already been modified with a switch and an extended 19-round clip. That came with a package of cocaine as a bundle deal. The sting continues.
The Takeaway
The ATF is conducting an operation of stings in Illinois to catch gun traffickers. So far, the effort has resulted in the arrests of 41 suspects and the seizure of 171 guns and 64 switches. Many of the cases have made headlines, and at least one involved a shooting. As the ATF continues its online sting operation to take guns off the streets, the public watches, hoping for a safer Illinois. Catch up on the latest relevant news on TheReedersBlock.com.
Jermaine Reed, MFA is an educator and the Editor-in-Chief of TheReedersBlock. Take time to Subscribe. It helps promote independent journalism and the site. Follow him on TikTok, where he has over 9 million views and nearly 1 million likes. Help him get there.
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