Alonzo Horta, Murder, Illinois 2017

Alonzo Horta, 20, of Hammond, Ind., and Geovanni Lopez, 28, of Oak Forest, are named in a superseding federal indictment for the April 9, 2017, murder of Alfonso Calderon in Chicago. The killing is one of six murders tied to the Latin Kings street gang in a sweeping racketeering case that now charges 34 alleged members with running a violent criminal enterprise across Chicago and its southern suburbs.

The indictment, returned February 1, 2018, and unsealed this week, adds 14 new defendants to the original 20 charged in 2016. Authorities say the Latin Kings’ Southeast Region — with chapters stretching from 82nd Street in Chicago to Blue Island, Dolton, and across the Indiana border — operated as a paramilitary drug network that enforced loyalty through murder, arson, and intimidation. The probe, led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), resulted in the seizure of 18 firearms.

Horta and Lopez are accused of killing Calderon as part of a broader campaign to eliminate rivals and enforce internal discipline. The superseding indictment details a pattern of retaliation: Dean Trevino, 25, of Chicago, and Emanuel Mendez, 29, of Hammond, Ind., allegedly murdered Ismael Perez in 2012. Geronia Ford, 23, and William Hayslette, 24, both of Chicago, are charged in the 2012 murder of Sergio Hernandez. Juan Jimenez, 35, of Blue Island, killed Isiah Cintron in 2007 in Hammond, Ind.

Older killings remain in the crosshairs: Thomas Luczak, 44, of Chicago, is charged in the 2000 murder of Juan Serratos. Jose Jaramillo, 35, of Hammond, Ind., faces charges in the 1999 murder of Jeremy Ward. Mendez, along with Orlando Marin, 29, of Chicago, and Roy Vega, 35, of Chicago, is also charged in multiple attempted murders. Arsons and beatings are detailed as tools to maintain control over drug territories.

The Latin Kings’ Southeast Region, as outlined in the indictment, operates under a strict hierarchy with chapters named after streets — 88th and 89th Streets, 97th Street, 102nd Street, Roseland — and suburban enclaves including Harvey, Chicago Heights, and Kankakee. Federal prosecutors allege the structure enabled coordinated drug trafficking, extortion, and violence, all shielded by fear and silence.

U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson announced the charges. The investigation included task force officers from Joliet, Evergreen Park, Bolingbrook, Orland Park, Cook and Will County Sheriff’s offices, IRS Criminal Investigation, and support from Indiana agencies in Hammond and Merrillville. Most defendants have been arraigned in federal court in Chicago; trials are pending.