Man Charged With Possessing Firearms While Trafficking Fentanyl in Chicago Suburbs

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man on drug and firearm charges for allegedly possessing multiple guns while trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics in the Chicago suburbs.

An indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges OMARI ANDREWS, JR., with possessing an AR-15 rifle and three handguns in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.  Andrews allegedly distributed fentanyl and heroin in Westmont, Ill., Villa Park, Ill., Des Plaines, Ill., and Hillside, Ill., the indictment states.  In March, law enforcement searched his residence in Mt. Prospect, Ill., and discovered distribution quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, as well as the firearms, all of which were loaded.

Andrews, 23, is detained in federal custody without bond.  His arraignment is scheduled for June 20, 2023, at 1:00 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang.

The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.  The Skokie, Ill., Police Department provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro G. Ortega. 

Holding firearm and drug offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.