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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation

In Reply, Please Refer to Release No.

219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604

January 29, 2003 Eighteen Suspected Gang Members  Charged in Third Phase of Operation "Blue Water" Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Terry G. Hillard, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and James W. Martin, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today the arrest of fifteen (15) Chicago area residents, many of whom are suspected members or associates of the Ambrose Street Gang. Nine of those arrested were charged in criminal complaints filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance (phencyclidine, commonly referred to as PCP) with intent to distribute. Three additional suspects have yet to be located and are considered fugitives from justice. Today's arrests are the culmination of a three-year investigation, code named operation "Blue Water", which has resulted in the arrest and indictment of 31 other members or associates of the Ambrose Street Gang, many of whom were involved in the manufacture and/or distribution of PCP throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and other mid-western states. Operation "Blue Water" was a joint investigative effort of the FBI's Gang Crimes Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Narcotics Officers from the Chicago Police Department; the Criminal Investigative Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the Chicago Police Department's Narcotics and Gang Crimes Divisions; and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, which is a federally funded, multi-jurisdictional, anti-drug investigative initiative. PCP, which is a schedule III controlled substance, comes in various forms - liquid, crystal or tablets. PCP is a hallucinogenic which can be swallowed, smoked, sniffed or injected. The Ambrose Street Gang is largely Hispanic and was founded in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago in the mid - 1960's. Their area of influence has spread in recent years to include neighborhoods on the south and southwest sides of Chicago. According to the complaints, those charged yesterday were regular suppliers of PCP to street-level users in various Chicago neighborhoods. In addition to those charged in U.S. District Court in Chicago, nine other individuals were charged with similar violations of Illinois State statutes by the Cook County State's Attorney and were arrested separately by the CPD. Those charged federally and arrested today are identified as:           1. Kimberly Davis, age 32, of 1217 South Keeler in Chicago           2. Steven Garcia, age 20, of 4003 South Francisco in Chicago           3. Ruby Longoria, age 31, of 644 2nd Street in Waukegan           4. Abbie Madison, age 43, of 1901 South Ridgeway in Chicago           5. Anthony Morales, age 24, of 4141 North Kimball in Chicago           6. Jesse Ramos, age 30, of 2736 South Ridgeway in Chicago           7. Sonya Rodriguez, age 23, of 3308 South Oakley in Chicago           8. Alba Sepulveda, age 22, of 3220 West 64th Place in Chicago           9. Doris Williams, age 44, of 1405 South Christiana in Chicago The above listed arrestees are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Ashman in Chicago at 2:00 PM. These charges carry maximum penalties ranging from 40 years to life imprisonment. Those charged in state court and arrested today are identified as:         10. Jesse Alaniz, age 27, of 3009 South Trumbull in Chicago         11. Luis Gomez, age 29, of 3507 West 38th Street in Chicago         12. Jonathan Lim, age 27, of 1935 West 33rd Street in Chicago         13. William Martinez, Jr., age 34, of 4526 South Komensky in Chicago         14. Hector Serrano, age 29, of Chicago, in custody on unrelated charges Those charged in state court that are considered fugitives from justice are identified as:         15. Jesse Barrera, age 37, of 2324 South Wolcott in Chicago         16. Sylvia Barrera, age 26, of 2324 South Wolcott in Chicago         17. Jesse Carnes, age 26, of 3746 South Sacramento in Chicago The 18th individual charged and arrested is a juvenile, whose identity cannot be released. In addition to today's arrests, approximately $14,000 in U.S. currency was seized by Chicago Police Officers, along with 553 grams of suspected illegal narcotics with an estimated street value of $69,000. Two shotguns, a rifle and a handgun were also recovered during the arrests. 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 a court of law. EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the federal complaints filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645.

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