Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

CHICAGO — A federal drug trafficking investigation has resulted in charges against 11 individuals for allegedly conspiring to distribute crack cocaine for the La Familia Stones street gang in the Chicago area, primarily in the Albany Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. As part of the investigation, law enforcement shut down a telephone drug hotline, according to a criminal complaint recently unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Charged in the criminal complaint, which was unsealed on March 2, 2023, is EDUART HOXHA, 35, of Chicago, also known as “Finn” and “White Boy,” ALEXIS DEL TORO, 24, of Elmwood Park, also known as “Tony,” FREDDY DEL TORO, 27, of Elmwood Park, also known as “Fredo” and “Ricky,” BRYAN DEL TORO, 22, of Elmwood Park, ALEX HERNANDEZ, 24, of Chicago, also known as “Joey” and “Biggie,” HADER GARCIA, 19, of Chicago, also known as “Luis,” RUBEN VALENCIA, 22, of Chicago, KARINA JIMENEZ, 35, of Chicago, also known as “Kay Kay” and “Rina,” KEVIN RAMIREZ, 27, of Evanston, JONAS CASTILLO, 26, of Chicago, also known as “Guero,” and JESENIA CALLE, 20, of Chicago, also known as “J-Dog.” As described in the complaint, two of the defendants have also been charged with murder in the Circuit Court of Cook County and are currently being held in state custody.

The defendants charged in the complaint are alleged to have conspired to distribute crack cocaine between December 2021 and November 2022, primarily using a telephone hotline that customers used to order crack cocaine, which was then delivered by one of the defendants. During the investigation, law enforcement officials seized hundreds of grams of crack cocaine and numerous firearms from various defendants. All but one of the defendants were arrested by federal agents last week or are in State custody and have begun making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago. One defendant remains at large, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The arrests are announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Sheila G. Lyons, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Christopher C. Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Substantial assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department’s Narcotics Division, which began a narcotics investigation to assist Chicago Police Department’s Detectives Bureau, and later worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Additional assistance was provided by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative Support Center, Illinois National Guard, Skokie Police Department, and Elmwood Park Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ramon Villalpando, Ann Marie Ursini, and Adam Rosenbloom.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other alleged criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against alleged criminal networks.