2 held in Streator drug sting that recovered cocaine, multiple firearms, $50,000 of stolen items

An Ottawa homeowner reported the theft of 30 guns, which surfaced on the black market. Underlings were sent into the Peru Menards to steal flooring. The thieves went into the Ottawa Walmart to take flat-screen TVs, according to the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office.

And a series of controlled buys and Monday search warrants turned up guns and drugs. Police said they seized at least 200 grams (just short of a half pound) of cocaine and eight firearms.

“We took a lot of bad people off the roads.”

—  Joe Navarro, La Salle County state's attorney

Keith Gullens was behind it all, authorities said. The La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office has added two new felony counts to the Streator man’s list of legal problems. His biggest concern, though, is the controlling charge of calculated criminal drug conspiracy. He faces up to 30 years if convicted of orchestrating the thefts and drug deals.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said the web of interrelated crimes spans at least a year and involves at least a dozen suspects who have been or will be charged, and they’re not finished.

“A huge theft ring has been foiled,” Navarro said. “We’ll be able to return property to people and we’ve got a lot of charges against people who either were dealing drugs or taking property.

“We took a lot of bad people off the roads.”

Navarro emphasized that many of the suspects identified so far were committing crimes while out on pre-trial release, no thanks to the SAFE-T Act, and “that’s where the legislature got it wrong.”

The focus was on Gullens, who appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was given a Dec. 4 court date. For now, he is staying in La Salle County Jail. Prosecutors want Judge Michael C. Jansz to enter a detention order to keep Gullens in custody until he stands trial (dates are pending), but Jansz held off until Gullens gets a private lawyer.

Details of the scheme are trickling in, but court records and a Wednesday news release from the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team indicate the criminal scheme was cracked Monday when police, prosecutors and drug agents executed search warrants of multiple Streator residents.

Authorities said the raids yielded plenty of contraband but also yielded information that links Gullens to pre-arranged thefts, burglaries and drug deals across six counties. Tri-DENT estimated the stolen goods alone were valued at more than $50,000.

The criminal enterprise is at least a year old. Last November, 30 guns were reported stolen from an Ottawa residence. Tri-DENT arranged for an informant to inquire of Gullens about various swag and Gullens replied with photos of stolen vehicles, tools, golf clubs as well as stolen rifles and shotguns.

All the while, Tri-DENT mounted a series of controlled buys in which drug agents purchased more than 200 grams of cocaine acquired either directly from Gullens or from couriers working under his direction.

Many of those suspects were arrested and charged before Gullens was apprehended. Arrested hours after Gullens was 35-year-old David L. Miller. While not charged with criminal drug conspiracy, authorities linked him to a pair of drug deals that prosecutors said was linked to the scheme under Gullens’ direction.

Miller, too, asked for additional time to huddle with an attorney (he’ll be represented by the public defender) before arguing against detention. Miller will next appear Dec. 4.

Two more men are alleged to have spearheaded the criminal enterprise. Darryl D. Gullens, 38, of Streator and Robert L. Phillips, 49, of Streator are charged with calculated criminal drug conspiracy. Each also is also charged with Class X and/or Class 1 felonies for two drug deals – two and three, respectively.

Neither was in custody as of Wednesday.