Chicago — Federal authorities charged eleven people on Friday with running a cocaine delivery service for the La Familia Stones street gang, mostly in the Albany Park neighborhood, for nearly a year. Two of the suspects are already in jail, where they are waiting to stand trial for murders and other crimes they allegedly committed on the Northwest Side.
From December 2021 until November of last year, the group allegedly ran a phone hotline where people could order crack cocaine, which the crew then brought to their doors. Even after members of the group discussed strong suspicions that law enforcement was onto them, the operation continued, officials said.
Undercover Chicago police officers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents made about 53 purchases of cocaine, heroin, and drugs as part of the investigation, dubbed “Operation Bullpen,” according to a court filing. Investigators also tapped the delivery “hotline.”
Federal agents shut down the hotline and “seized hundreds of grams of crack cocaine and numerous firearms from various defendants,” according to a press release from the US Attorney’s office in Chicago. One crew member remains at large, but the rest were arrested this week or are in state custody.
Charged are:
- Hader “Luis” Garcia, 19, of Chicago
- Eduart Hoxa, also known as “Finn” and “White Boy”, 35, of Chicago
- Alexis “Tony” Del Toro, 24, of Elmwood Park
- Freddy “Fredo” Del Toro, 27, also known as “Ricky,” of Elmwood Park
- Bryan Del Toro, 22, of Elmwood Park
- Alex “Joey” Hernandez, also known as “Biggie,” 24, of Chicago
- Ruben Valencia, 22, of Chicago
- Karina “Kay Kay” Jimenez, also known as “Rina,” 35 of Chicago
- Kevin Ramirez, 27, of Evanston
- Jonas “Guero” Castillo, 26, of Chicago
- Jesenia “J-Dog” Calle, 20, of Chicago.
Garcia, also known as “Luis,” has been in jail since February 2022 as he awaits trial for a long list of violent crimes, including a carjacking, a murder, and an attempted murder. Alexis Del Toro has been jailed since April, accused of killing another driver shortly after completing a drug transaction in North Park.
During Del Toro’s arrest in the murder case, police allegedly found various drugs packaged for sale, ammunition, and three guns. When they searched his home in the 3900 block of North Kedzie, they found another gun and $29,490 cash that federal officials described as “suspected narcotics proceeds.”
The 115-page federal complaint said the Del Toroes directed most of the other defendants to complete deliveries that customers placed by calling the delivery hotline.
On July 5, wiretap conversations suggested that Valencia might be preparing to shoot someone, the federal complaint said. Police officers, hoping to “prevent the potential use of a firearm,” pulled Valencia over, found a gun in his bag, seized the weapon, and then let him go, the complaint said.
Afterwards, Freddy Del Toro and Hernandez discussed the incident during a phone call that authorities were monitoring.
“I’m going to tell you something crazy,” Hernandez said. “That nigga got let go.”
“What the f*ck? No,” replied Hernandez.
“He didn’t even go to the station, bro.”
The men then discussed the possibility that, given the circumstances, Valencia might be cooperating with law enforcement.
In September, after cops stopped one of their customers and seized their crack but didn’t arrest them, the pair again discussed the possibility that law enforcement was onto their operation.
“They’re watching, Moe,” Del Toro allegedly said. “Foster and Pulaski, Moe. I seen J-Dog … they was coming out the [grocery store] already, boom, they stopped them. They were like, come here. Boom, boom. Handcuffed them and everything. Took his [$20 worth of crack] and everything.”
