Parolees Peddle Heroin Under Stairwell: Prosecutor

ALSIP, IL -- A pair of parolees were arrested after they were caught selling suspect heroin beneath the stairwell of an Alsip apartment building, prosecutors said. William Swan, 29, and Eric Ramirez, 28, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on felony charges of manufacturing with intent to deliver a controlled substance. The two were also charged with misdemeanor resisting arrests and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Alsip police responded to a call of drug sales happening beneath a stairwell in an apartment building in the 4300 block of Park Lane, the prosecutor said. When officers arrived, they found Swan and Ramirez allegedly selling suspect heroin. Swan reportedly ran up the stairs to the third floor where police found him. Ramirez was taken into custody by the stairs. The prosecutor said that police found numerous tinfoil packets of heroin packed into baggies totalling 26.2 grams.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Swan is a Kennedy High School graduate. According to court records, Swan’s last known address is in Worth. He is currently out on parole from the Robinson Correctional Center where he was serving a 2 ½ - year sentence for aggravated battery against a transit employee, state prison records said.

Ramirez, of Alsip, was paroled in May from the Lawrence Correctional Center where he had been serving concurrent sentences for escape from electronic monitoring and possession of a controlled substance, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

Judge Felice set Swan’s bail at $200,000. Ramirez’s bail os $175,000. The judge asked for a source of funds should they bond out. Swan is due back in court Aug. 18 in Bridgeview. Ramirez is to appear in Aug. 7.