Black Disciples leader among 23 arrested in federal bust on South Side

The alleged leader of the Black Disciples in Chicago was arrested Tuesday in a sweeping federal gang and drug investigation on the South Side.

The leader, 34-year-old Darnell “Murderer” McMiller, is among 23 charged with federal drug and gun charges, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago.

The years-long investigation recovered 24 gun, more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, more than a kilogram of heroin, about 378 grams of crack cocaine, $52,595 in suspected illicit cash proceeds and suspected MDMA pills, prosecutors said.

Much of the alleged gun and drug trafficking happened in the Englewood neighborhood, prosecutors said.

Other high-ranking gang members charged include:

  • Clarence January, who allegedly leads the gang’s “Dog Pound” faction;
  • Kenneth Brown, who allegedly supplied the gang with drugs for distribution in Chicago; and
  • Charles Knight, an alleged high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples street gang, is charged as part of the probe with supplying narcotics to McMiller’s crew.

The charges describe more than 50 sales in which alleged Black Disciples members sold guns or drugs to people cooperating with law enforcement, prosecutors said.  In many cases, the cooperating individuals secretly video-recorded the transaction at the direction of police.

The Black Disciples are a national street gang that is prevalent throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, prosecutors said.