CHICAGO — A joint federal and local criminal investigation in the far north suburbs of Chicago has resulted in federal drug or firearm charges against four individuals.
The alleged drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession occurred last winter in Waukegan and Beach Park, according to indictments unsealed this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago. According to the charges, ROBERT SPURLOCK, 36, of Beach Park, distributed cocaine and illegally possessed a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number; KURT NASH, JR., 34, of Milwaukee, Wisc., distributed cocaine on two occasions; RAFAEL ALVAREZ-MURILLO, 27, of Waukegan, distributed methamphetamine and illegally possessed a handgun; and JASON NAJERA-PRADO, 31, of Waukegan, illegally possessed two handguns. Spurlock, Alvarez-Murillo, and Najera-Prado were previously convicted of felonies and were not lawfully allowed to possess firearms.
Spurlock, Nash, and Najera-Prado pleaded not guilty during arraignments Wednesday in federal court in Chicago. Arraignment for Alvarez-Murillo will be scheduled at a later date. Six other individuals were charged in state court as part of this investigation.
The federal indictments were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and John Idleburg, Lake County Sheriff. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn McCarthy and Alejandro Ortega represent the government in the federal cases.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The public is reminded that indictments contain only charges and are 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. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
