3 father-son duos among 15 charged in federal drug case

Three father-son pairs were among 15 people charged in a Chicago-area cocaine and heroin conspiracy, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Plainfield resident Israel “Chino” Martinez, 32, sent his 66-year-old father, Juvenal, to deliver a kilogram of cocaine to an informant, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed in federal court. The investigation, “Operation Chicago Storm,” also targeted Philip “Moose” Vega, 42, and his son, Jacob, 24, both of who were tailed by DEA agents who watched them complete several alleged cocaine sales in 2015.

Julio Martinez, 54, of Lawrenceville, Ga, and his son, Julio Jr., 32, also were charged with selling heroin on the Northwest Side of Chicago.

Also charged were Edwin “Chino” Del Valle, 38; Jose Rivera, 56; Maurice “Mo” Hart, 46; Adam Aguiar, 41; Charles Medina, 32; Luis “Nene” Montes, 47, and Nicholas Padin, 28, who was trailed by DEA agents as he sold more than 140 grams of cocaine in a drug deal in a parking lot near Armitage Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway.

Two other members of the alleged conspiracy were charged in state court.

Over the course of the investigation, local officers and federal agents seized more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, 9 kilos of heroin, 14 firearms and $600,000 in cash, according to a release by U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon. Charging documents state members of the Chicago Strike Force, a team made up of officers from a dozen federal and local law enforcement, recorded numerous cell phone conversations among the defendants and filmed alleged drug deals.