The armed parolee whom Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera was chasing when her partner unintentionally shot and killed her last year is now facing federal drug distribution charges, one of five men charged in a major undercover federal drug investigation that, according to a law enforcement source, was prompted in part by Rivera’s on-duty death in June 2025.
Jaylin Arnold, 28, is accused of conspiring with four other men to distribute fentanyl and cocaine from an apartment building in the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue between January and June 2025, according to federal court records. The crew allegedly distributed business cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” to advertise the fentanyl and cocaine they sold from the Chatham apartment while storing drugs, cash and firearms, including machine gun conversion devices, at a nearby stash house.
On June 5, 2025, Arnold was on parole after serving time for being a felon in possession of a firearm, his third gun conviction, when Rivera and her partner, Carlos Baker, saw him carrying a firearm with an extended magazine in his waistband near the apartment building.
Rivera and Baker chased Arnold into a complex, and Arnold bolted into one of the units. When Baker forced the apartment door open, officials said, he was immediately confronted by a second man pointing a firearm directly at him.
Body-camera video released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability appears to show Baker simultaneously retreating from the doorway, losing his balance and firing a single shot that struck Rivera in an area of her torso not protected by her ballistic vest. Baker, who told investigators he believed the gunshot came from inside the apartment rather than from his service weapon, took cover by running up a stairwell and called for backup. About 90 seconds later, he found Rivera’s body lying on the landing outside the apartment.
Arnold pleaded guilty to a state gun charge in April and received an eight-year sentence.
A law enforcement source said Rivera’s death prompted federal law enforcement agencies to focus on the drug operation being run from the apartment building where she and Baker had chased Arnold that night. A confidential informant and undercover officers subsequently began making controlled purchases from the drug crew, with those purchases continuing into early 2026.
Tarrell “Patone” Smith and Deshawn “30” Powell ran the operation with the help of Joshua Thomas, Bernard Spencer and Arnold, prosecutors allege. 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, including machine gun conversion devices.
The operation allegedly distributed business card-style calling cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” bearing a dedicated telephone number 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 the narcotics from a freezer inside the East 82nd Street apartment. Agents said Spencer told the buyers that 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 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 found three bundles of material that tested positive for fentanyl. Agents also reported finding a blender, a coffee pot, a razor blade with residue consistent with crack cocaine processing, and a supply of “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” calling cards.
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