The federal government has an agency in place to fight the spread of drugs throughout the country and stop drug related crime, and this agency will often get involved with local law enforcement agencies in an attempt to better coordinate efforts to shut down major drug suppliers. If a person is watched and observed to have obtained a large amount of an illegal drug, they may be charged with crimes related to the distribution of drugs. If it is believed that the person had the intent to sell drugs, they may face more serious charges.
In the hopes that getting drugs off the streets will lower the prevalence of violent crime, the Drug Enforcement Agency teamed up with the Chicago Police Department to crack down on a group of people they believe intended to distribute the drugs in their possession. The suspects are from several different states, and all have been charged with federal drug crimes.
The arrests came after an investigation that lasted almost a year between the two agencies, and illegal items were found in several homes and cars owned by the suspects. Of the 23 people involved, 2 were unaccounted for, and law enforcement officials are still attempting to locate them.
With the large amounts of illegal drugs that were seized and the months of surveillance to provide support to the theory of the law enforcement agencies, the individuals may benefit from offering information about drug distribution to authorities to negotiate a lighter sentence. Any person facing drug charges that is considering offering information to prosecutors may benefit from consulting an attorney first.
Source: WANE, “Police charge 23 in drug bust, two from Fort Wayne,” Rod Hissong, June 21, 2013