21 arrested for North Side drug trafficking operation

Twenty-one people have been arrested for taking part in a $2.5 million operation that trafficked drugs on the North Side and in two northern suburbs, Chicago Police announced Friday.

The complex organization was “spun into the fabric of gang life across Chicago and beyond,” crossing gang lines and spilling over from the city into neighboring Evanston and Skokie, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

Two high-ranking leaders of the Black P-Stones street gang, Craig “Chop” Johnson and Henry “Mix” Wiggins, allegedly led the organization and were among those arrested, the statement said.

Both are facing charges including calculated criminal drug conspiracy, police said. They face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Melvin Foote, an original ranking member of the Black P-Stones, and Brandi Robins, an associate of Wiggins, were also charged with calculated criminal drug conspiracy, police said.

The investigation used court-ordered wiretaps and turned up information that prevented several shootings, according to Chicago Police.

Police also seized eight vehicles, $58,000 in cash, 337 grams of crack cocaine and a 9mm handgun.

Chicago Police and FBI agents made the arrests Wednesday as part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Tangled Web,” the statement said. Evanston police also participated in the investigation.