A South Side drug crew distributed business cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” to advertise the fentanyl and cocaine they sold from a Chatham apartment while storing inventory, cash, and firearms, including machine gun conversion devices, at a nearby stash house, according to newly unsealed federal court records.
Tarrell “Patone” Smith and Deshawn “30” Powell ran the operation with the help of Joshua Thomas and Bernard Spencer, according to a complaint filed by an ATF agent. A confidential informant and undercover officers began making controlled purchases from the crew late last year and those buys allegedly continued into February.
In a criminal complaint, an ATF agent said the group sold narcotics primarily from an apartment in the 900 block of East 82nd Street while using another apartment in the 7900 block of South Ellis Avenue to store drugs, money, and weapons that included machine gun conversion devices.
The operation allegedly distributed business card-style calling cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” bearing a dedicated phone number that was used to arrange narcotics sales. After Smith was arrested, agents dialed that number and one of the phones recovered from him rang, according to the complaint.
On January 13, an undercover officer and an informant allegedly purchased suspected cocaine and fentanyl from Spencer after he retrieved narcotics from a freezer inside the 82nd Street apartment. Agents said Spencer told the buyers drugs were available 24 hours a day as long as they called the “exotic beverages” line first.
On January 22, undercover officers allegedly bought crack cocaine and fentanyl from Thomas at the same location. Another purchase on February 11 allegedly involved Thomas selling crack cocaine and four bundles of suspected fentanyl while Spencer opened the door and remained nearby.
Federal agents executed search warrants at both apartments on February 19. Smith and Powell were the only people inside the Ellis Avenue unit when agents arrived, according to the complaint. Prosecutors said both men tried to escape through the back door, but they were caught in a stairwell. Powell allegedly had about $5,096 in cash on him.
Inside the apartment, agents said they found distribution quantities of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, along with scales, packaging materials, and more than $3,000 in cash. They also recovered three firearms, including two handguns fitted with machine gun conversion devices and extended magazines, according to court records.
In the kitchen freezer, investigators said they located three bundles of material that tested positive for fentanyl. Agents also reported finding a blender, a coffee pot, and a razor blade with residue consistent with crack cocaine processing.
Agents arrested Spencer and Thomas at the East 82nd Street apartment, where a supply of “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” calling cards was also recovered.
The complaint details months of surveillance that investigators say showed Smith and Powell repeatedly traveling between the two apartments carrying bags and backpacks, often shortly before or after drug transactions. On February 10, agents said Powell was observed leaving the Ellis Avenue apartment carrying a small knotted plastic baggie that appeared consistent with packaged narcotics. Later that day, agents said Spencer was seen receiving a bag at the same address that appeared consistent with a kilogram-sized brick of narcotics, then carrying it directly into the East 82nd Street building.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
