Officials Charge 11 Men After West Suburban Drug Ring Investigation

Officials charged 11 men earlier this week with bringing heroin to the western suburbs, DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba announced Thursday.

Miguel Fernandez, 23, of West Chicago was arrested Feb. 26 after an investigation conducted by members of the sheriff's offices' Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), the Sheriff’s SR-22 Unit, West Chicago Police Department, Woodridge Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security showed he was allegedly delivering heroin to people in the area, including a minor near school property, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. 

READ: "EDUCATION NEEDED TO FIGHT HEROIN 'EPIDEMIC' IN DUPAGE COUNTY"

Fernandez is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy, a Class X felony, seven counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class 1 felony, two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance Within 1,000 feet of School Property, a Class X Felony, and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance to a person under the age of 18. 

The other men charged after the initial investigation include:

• Ivan Espinal, 20, of West Chicago, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance. 
• Fernando Lopez, 20, of Geneva, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Miguel Ramirez, 24, of Warrenville, is was charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Pablo Ramirez, 19, of Warrenville, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Jesus Guerrero, 20, of West Chicago, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance. 
• Pierre Atkinson, 25, and Billy Turnage, of Chicago, were both charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy.

A subsequent investigation resulted in five additional charges for the following men:

• Manuel Gonzalez, 20, of West Chicago, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance With the Intent to Deliver, a Class 1 felony.  
• Jonathan Guerrero, 20, of Naperville, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Class 4 Felony.  
• Oscar Vivaldo-Avila, 24, of Warrenville, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.

Officials said Fernandez, Espinal, Pablo Ramirez, Miguel Ramirez, Guerrero, Vivaldo-Avila, Atkinson, and Turnage are all gang affiliated.

Guerrero posted 10 percent bail for his $60,000 bond. Atkinson and Turnage remain at DuPage County Jail on $300,000 bond and the rest of the men remain at the jail on $100,000 bond. 

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