Coordinated arrests in Joliet lead to recovery of guns, cocaine

A joint law enforcement operation conducted Tuesday morning in southwest suburban Joliet resulted in arrest warrants for 16 people, as well as the seizure of 31 illegal guns and more than 200 grams of cocaine.

Over 100 law enforcement agents arrested the offenders on a range of felony charges, including drug dealing and illegal sale of firearms, according to the Will County state’s attorney’s office.

Several people were charged with possession of stolen firearms or gun running, and five were charged with with being “armed habitual criminals” based on their records, the state’s attorney’s office said. Most of the people targeted in the operation were suspected gang members.

The coordinated effort was carried out by the state’s attorney’s office, Joliet police, the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad and federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“Multi-jurisdictional sweeps like the one conducted today greatly expand the ability of law enforcement to defuse gang activity while taking illegal weapons and narcotics off our streets,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said in a statement. “We work closely with our local police agencies on a daily basis to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

“But the participation of federal agencies like ATF puts significant additional resources and manpower into the mix and lets drug dealers and gun traffickers know without question that we mean business,” Glasgow added.