Francisco Masias, Gun and Cocaine Trafficking, IL 2024

Francisco Masias, 38, of Berwyn, Illinois, is going away for 22 years after a federal jury convicted him of running a violent gun and cocaine trafficking ring as a top leader of the Gangster 2-6 Nation on Chicago’s West Side. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, lands at 264 months behind bars for a criminal enterprise that flooded Little Village with drugs and firearms.

At trial, prosecutors proved Masias, a convicted felon, illegally acquired 16 handguns through an associate and funneled them through gang enforcer Jose Maldonado. The weapons were intended to protect the gang’s drug operations but were seized by law enforcement before they could spread further. Masias was also found guilty of selling cocaine, using his position within the gang to maintain control through violence and intimidation.

The takedown came as part of “Operation Shady Business,” a sweeping joint investigation involving federal, state, and local agencies. Wiretaps, surveillance, and cooperating witnesses peeled back layers of the Gangster 2-6 Nation’s criminal infrastructure. The probe was launched by the Chicago Police Department and executed under the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, with critical support from HIDTA and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

One key piece of evidence: a Nottingham Park residence converted into a high-output marijuana grow house. Police seized more than 100 plants with a street value of $1 million. Jason Herrera, who lived at the site and served as security, pleaded guilty and received five years in prison. The operation underscored the scale and sophistication of the gang’s operations under Masias’s leadership.

Maldonado, also of Chicago, was convicted on separate gun and drug charges and received the same 22-year sentence, signaling federal prosecutors’ zero tolerance for the gang’s violent enforcement tactics. More than 15 defendants in total have been convicted since the investigation began, dismantling a network that thrived on fear and firepower.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew F. Madden and Ankur Srivastava. Support came from Zachary T. Fardon, then U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson; DEA Special Agent in Charge Dennis A. Wichern; and IRS CI Special Agent-in-Charge James D. Robnett. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service provided crucial assistance in rounding out the convictions.