Tinley Man Led Cocaine Ring In Chicago, Suburbs: Feds

TINLEY PARK, IL — A Tinley Park man is the leader of a drug trafficking operation that brought cocaine from Texas to Chicago over at least a two-month span earlier this year, federal agents allege in an indictment issued against 10 defendants allegedly involved in the scheme.

Darrin Pulphus is accused of arranging to obtain and purchase kilogram quantities of cocaine from a Texas man accused of bringing the drug to the Midwest in massive quantities, according to the United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Illinois.

The complaint also says Pulphus stored wholesale quantities of cocaine and proceeds from its sale at a condominium unit that he owns on Beach Drive in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood.

The drugs were delivered to Pulphus and other members of the crew at a truck yard in Riverdale and then worked with a number of distributors to sell the drugs throughout the Chicago area, the complaint states. Also charged in the indictment were alleged drug dealers David Bowden, 51; Deshawn Walls, 34; Darrell Williams, 45 and Lawrence Johnson, 38 - all of Chicago - who are accused of working with Pulphus.

Pulphus and the others were charged after federal agents seized more than 14 kilograms of cocaine and 15 firearms at the lakefront condominium in Kenwood.

Authorities, who called the investigation into the ring "Operation Grapevine," also said they recovered $215,000 in cash and gold and diamond jewelry with an estimated value of more than $30,000.

From the complaint:

From on or about February 7, 2019 to on or about April 24, 2019, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, PULPHUS, TURNER, BOWDEN, WALLS, WILLIAMS, JOHNSON, and HOWARD did conspire with each other, and with others known and unknown to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance, namely, five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance