Two sentenced on drug charges
A former Carpentersville street gang leader and his sister have been sentenced to a total of 28½ years in prison after both pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy charges.
The charges accused the Torres siblings of being part of a scheme to sell drugs in Carpentersville and Kane County, according to a news release from Carpentersville Police Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne.
Antonio "Goofy" Torres Jr., 27, was sentenced to 25 years while his sister, Liria Torres, 22, formerly of 103 Meadowdale, Carpentersville, received a sentence of 3½ years, according to Carpentersville police.
The two were first charged on Nov. 1, 2006, in U.S. District Court in Chicago as a result of "Operation Broke Down Crown," which lasted 18 months.
The operation was an investigation by the FBI, Carpentersville police, Aurora police, the Kane County Sheriff's Department and the Internal Revenue Service into the Latin Kings street gang and their involvement in the illegal drug activity in the Carpentersville and Aurora areas, according to an FBI news release.
During the operation, the FBI recorded calls between gang members, one in which Torres bragged that he soon would be up there with the big boys, according to the FBI.
In addition to the arrests of six suspected street gang members and their associates, police seized a kilo of cocaine, drug paraphernalia and three vehicles.
Torres was already in the Kane County jail at the time awaiting kidnapping charges.
Antonio Torres Jr. was the leader of the Carpentersville faction of the street gang and was accused of being the leader of a botched attempt to kidnap eight people from a Round Lake Beach restaurant on Aug. 19, 2006, police said.
In that case, the eight were taken to a home on the 100 block of Tee Road in Carpentersville where they were burned with a cigar and threatened with rape, according to accounts of the kidnapping given by Carpentersville police.
Police raided the home later that evening on a tip and freed the hostages.
Torres was arrested five days later, police said.
Both Antonio and Liria Torres are now housed in the Metropolitan Correction Center in Chicago.