Lemont Man Charged After Federal Drug, Firearm Investigation: U.S. Attorney

LEMONT, IL — A 34-year-old Lemont man is among seven people who are facing federal criminal charges after a drug and firearm investigation centered on the south side of Chicago, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.

A superseding indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago accuses the seven defendants of participating in a criminal conspiracy that utilized armed security to protect drug trafficking activities in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, according to a release.

Khiry Strickland, of Lemont, is charged with federal drug conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The law enforcement investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Chicago Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Marshals Service, targeted an open-air marijuana market in the 1200 block of West 73rd Place in Chicago, a release states. Under the protection of the armed security, the defendants sold large quantities of marijuana in the area and stored drugs, guns and cash in nearby houses, according to the indictment.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 2,000 pounds of marijuana, approximately 81 firearms, including five assault-style rifles, approximately $425,000 in cash, and jewelry valued at approximately $300,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The six others charged with federal drug conspiracy are Kejuan Bryant, 31, of Chicago; Jamari Goodman, 29, of Chicago; Joseph Albert Heath, 32, of Chicago; Matthew Furdge, 22, of Chicago; Kewann Whitaker, 32, of Chicago; and Igor Dze, 44, of Miami Beach, Florida.

Bryant also faces an individual drug distribution count and is also charged, along with Goodman and Heath, with illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, a release states. Most of the defendants were arrested last week and have made their initial appearances in federal court in Chicago.

In addition to the federal charges, 15 individuals were charged in state court as a result of this investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The drug conspiracy charge is punishable by up to life in federal prison for Bryant, and up to forty years for Goodman, Furdge, Whitaker, Dze, and Strickland, according to a release. The firearm charge against Bryant, Goodman, and Heath carries a maximum sentence of life, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years per defendant. The individual drug distribution count against Bryant is punishable by up to 20 years.