ALTON MAN FOUND GUILTY BY JURY OF DISTRIBUTION OF CRACK COCAINE

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 10, 2009, WENDELL JOHNSON, a/k/a DOLLAR, age 34, of Alton, Illinois, was convicted after a two-day trial by a jury in East St. Louis, Illinois of two counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. The violations took place on February 12 and February 26, 2009 in Madison County, Illinois. The evidence at trial showed that the Defendant delivered crack cocaine to a confidential informant in two controlled purchases.

Each count carries with it penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to$2,000,000, or both, a term of at least 6 years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Alton Police Department as part of “Operation Crack Down”and in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Weed & Seed initiative in Alton, Illinois. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration also participated in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce prosecuted the case.