Diante Davis, 27, and Markiease Cousins, 19, both of Chicago, are behind bars on federal charges after allegedly selling heroin in a backyard deal that turned violent when Davis pointed a loaded handgun in an undercover officer’s face. The incident, captured on secret video, occurred on October 17, 2016, at a residence in the 3400 block of West Lexington Avenue in the North Lawndale neighborhood — a West Side pocket long plagued by open-air drug markets and gun violence.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the two men sold four zip-lock bags of heroin to an undercover agent during a controlled buy. As the officer began to leave, Davis called him back, brandished a firearm, and snarled, “You’re probably recording me right now,” accusing the officer of being law enforcement. The entire exchange was, in fact, recorded — not just by audio or video surveillance, but by federal agents lying in wait just blocks away.
Davis and Cousins were arrested moments later without further incident. The undercover officer was not harmed. A search incident to arrest revealed Davis was also carrying a second firearm and additional zip-lock bags containing narcotics — some laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, and others containing cocaine, the complaint states.
The indictment charges both men with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The drug charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The firearm count mandates a minimum of five years and can stretch to life behind bars. Sentencing, if convicted, will be determined under federal guidelines and statutory mandates.
Davis is scheduled for an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox on November 10, 2016. Cousins is set for a detention hearing before the same judge on November 14. Both remain in federal custody as the case proceeds. The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Dennis A. Wichern, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
The investigation was a joint effort by the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Chicago Strike Force, the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Illinois State Police, and local law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Hogstrom is prosecuting the case. The government reminds the public that a complaint is not evidence of guilt — defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related Federal Cases
- Cedar Rapids Heroin Dealer Pleads Guilty to Death Charge · Illinois
- Elkville Heroin Kingpin Sentenced to Decade in Prison · Illinois
- Heroin Dealer Gets 12 Years in Shelton OD Death · Illinois
- Toledo Heroin Network Crumbles: 26 Indicted in Drug Ring · Illinois
- Edwardsville Narc Boss Bags Nine Years for Meth, Heroin Smuggling · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
