Feds break up North Side cocaine trafficking operation, charge five
The feds have charged five men in an alleged North Side cocaine trafficking operation, including its leader who allegedly bragged to an undercover officer that he sells the “best s--- in the city.”
Joshua “Big Moe” Moore allegedly ran the operation out of a building near Devon and Western avenues in West Rogers Park, according to a 44-page criminal complaint.
Chicago police and the FBI began investigating Moore in December 2018 and allegedly made eight undercover purchases with undercover agents, the complaint states.
Police allegedly seized more than 365 grams of suspected crack or powder cocaine and 6 grams of fentanyl.
In one sale in February 2019, Moore allegedly met an officer in a Wendy’s parking lot to sell crack cocaine.
“I charge ($1,300) for the ounces (28 grams of crack cocaine),” Moore, 44, told the officer, according to the complaint.
“Are you serious?” the officer said. Moore allegedly replied, “Yeah, I sell straight drop though baby. You know I got the best s--- in the city.”
The officer paid him and left with eight clear, knotted plastic bags filled with a substance that later tested in a DEA lab for cocaine, the complaint states.
Four other men have been charged with selling Moore’s drugs: John “Bird” Beard, 30; Earnest “Ernie” Green, 20; Jose “Joey Crack” Fontanez, 38; and Antonio “Tone” Maxey, 32. All have been arrested except for Green. David Struett
Autopsy: Man found inside refrigerator in Edgewater Beach was strangled
A man found Thursday morning inside a refrigerator at his Edgewater Beach apartment was strangled, according to an autopsy.
Paramedics found 58-year-old Marcus Merge unresponsive inside a fridge about 10:30 a.m. in the 5700 block of North Sheridan Road, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsy results released Friday found he died of strangulation and ruled his death a homicide, the medical examiner’s office said. David Struett