A West Side man arrested five times in 13 months on drug dealing allegations by Chicago police is now facing federal charges after prosecutors say one of his customers turned out to be an undercover ATF agent. Federal prosecutors charged 32-year-old Rishone Raspberry with distributing fentanyl after he allegedly sold nearly 2 ounces of the drug to an undercover agent on May 27.
According to CPD records, officers arrested Raspberry on drug sales allegations on April 27, May 16, May 19, and August 12, 2025, mostly in the area of Polk and Cicero. Prosecutors dropped all but one of those cases, and in March, Judge Carol Howard sentenced him to three years of probation after he pleaded guilty in the remaining case.
His probation was short-lived. Chicago police arrested Raspberry again on May 3, alleging he was soliciting an unlawful business and possessed between 15 and 100 grams of cocaine, once again near the intersection of Polk and Cicero. That case remains pending after a grand jury recently returned an indictment.
Federal authorities now say Raspberry made another sale just weeks later, this time to an undercover agent. According to a federal criminal complaint, on May 23, a confidential informant told agents with the Chicago office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that a fentanyl dealer known as “Sosa” was selling narcotics near Polk and Cicero and offering ounces of fentanyl for $1,000 each.
During recorded phone calls, Raspberry allegedly agreed to sell the informant’s “cousin” 2 ounces of fentanyl for $2,000, according to the complaint.
At about 1:31 p.m., the undercover agent, posing as the cousin, and the informant arrived near Polk and Cicero in a vehicle equipped with audio and video recording equipment. Prosecutors said Raspberry got into the front passenger seat, identified himself as “Sosa,” and pulled a clear plastic bag containing a white powder from his waistband.
The agent weighed the bag on a digital scale, which showed about 52 grams, or roughly 1.8 ounces, according to the complaint. When the agent asked the price, Raspberry allegedly replied, “Two even,” before accepting a stack of folded $100 bills.
According to prosecutors, Raspberry also gave the undercover agent his phone number and encouraged him to call or FaceTime about future fentanyl purchases.
The white substance was submitted to a Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory, which confirmed it contained fentanyl, according to the complaint.
In addition to the new federal charge, Raspberry remains on probation in his Cook County case from last year and is awaiting trial on the cocaine case stemming from his May 3 arrest.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
