GANG MEMBERS BLAMED FOR 5 HEROIN DEATHS

Mickey Cobras Members Sold Fentanyl-Laced Drug: Indictment

Members of the Mickey Cobras street gang are responsible for at least
five fatal overdoses from fentanyl-laced heroin they sold, according
to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

Reputed gang leader James Austin, his cousin Johnny Shannon and five
others were charged with the deaths and pleaded not guilty. They each
face 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

Thirteen others are charged with conspiracy to make fentanyl at a
laboratory in Toluca, Mexico, and smuggle the synthetic drug to
Chicago and Detroit using a front company, according to another
indictment unsealed Thursday. The Mickey Cobras were among those who
bought the fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement
Administration, which led the probe. $12 million in drug proceeds The
government is seeking to recover $12 million in drug proceeds from
the Mexican ring.

The Cook County medical examiner's office started seeing overdose
deaths from fentanyl-laced heroin in late 2005 at the Dearborn Homes
- -- but the Mickey Cobras have been selling the potent mixture there
since at least 1998, authorities say.

Michael Virzint, 24, was one of five people investigators linked to
Dearborn Homes drugs, his family said. He died Jan. 20, 2006, under a
viaduct at 29th and Dearborn -- 20 minutes after buying drugs at the
South Side complex.

Virzint grew up in Burbank and played football at Reavis High School.
He was known as a funny kid who got along with everyone, but he also
struggled with a drug addiction. 'People loved him' He was one of 342
people in Cook County who have died of fentanyl-related overdoses
since late 2005, said Dr. Scott Denton, acting chief Cook County
medical examiner.

Virzint's family, like others, has waited for justice, hoping that
someone would be held accountable for their loss.

Last month, Debra Pasciak was told police had connected her son's
death to the dealers at Dearborn.

"I thought they forgot about Michael because he was a drug addict,"
Pasciak said. "It made me feel that he mattered. ... I don't think he
realized how many people loved him."

Detroit has experienced a similar spike in fentanyl-related deaths.
An estimated 133 people died in the Detroit area in 2005 and 2006,
officials said. In a secret compartment Fentanyl -- manufactured for
legal use as a pain-killer -- is far more potent than heroin.
According to some estimates, about 22 pounds of fentanyl were shipped
from the Mexican lab to Chicago. When mixed with heroin, that could
supply addicts for up to 10 months, said Frank Limon, chief of the
Chicago Police organized crime division.

The Mickey Cobras were selling the laced heroin under street names
such as "Reaper" and "Penicillin," authorities said. Chicago Police
Officer Tashika Sledge has been charged with providing information to
the gang about law enforcement activities.

One alleged member of the Mexican operation, Lutgardo Chavez Jr., is
accused of mixing the fentanyl with heroin in a Chicago home and
transporting the drugs in a Honda Accord with a secret trap compartment.