Naperville Man Among 11 Charged in West Suburban Drug Ring Investigation

By Charlotte Eriksen

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

Read More: "Heroin: Naperville's Drug Reality" 

Miguel Fernandez, 23, of the 200 block of East Pomeroy Avenue in 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. 

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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 the 1000 block of Blakely Street in West Chicago, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance. 
• Fernando Lopez, 20, of the 200 block of Larsdotter Lane in Geneva, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Miguel Ramirez, 24, of the 30 West 000 block of Oakwood Court in Warrenville, is was charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Pablo Ramirez, 19, of the 30W 0-99 block of Oakwood Court in Warrenville, is charged with Unlawful Criminal Drug Conspiracy and two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.  
• Jesus Guerrero, 20, of the 800 block of Parkside in 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:

• Jonathan Guerrero, 20, of the 1600 block of Brookdale Road in Naperville, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Class 4 Felony.  
• Oscar Vivaldo-Avila, 24, of the 29W 500 block of Winchester Circle in Warrenville, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
• Manuel Gonzalez, 20, of the 700 block of Lincoln Avenue in West Chicago, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance With the Intent to Deliver, a Class 1 felony.  

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.