Man charged in Streator drug ring opts against fighting detention

A Streator man accused of running a drugs and theft ring will stand trial March 17 on multiple felonies. Keith Gullens will stay in jail while awaiting his jury.

Gullens, 34, appeared Friday in La Salle County Circuit Court to face a detention hearing. La Salle County prosecutors wanted him held on nine felonies led by calculated criminal drug conspiracy, a Class X felony carrying six to 30 years.

But when the hearing began, newly hired lawyer Joseph Lopez advised the court that Gullens is on a federal parole hold and won’t be eligible for release. Gullens and Lopez opted against fighting detention and instead asked for a trial setting.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. obliged and ordered Gullens to next appear in March for a motions hearing ahead of the St. Patrick’s Day trial setting.

Gullens is one of several men (two remain at large) accused of moving narcotics across the Illinois Valley and directing underlings to commit thefts. In open court, prosecutors have linked Gullens, directly or indirectly, to the theft of multiple guns that surfaced on the black market and organized thefts from Peru and Ottawa retail stores.

Drug agents conducted a series of controlled buys and conducted search warrants that turned up at least 200 grams of cocaine and eight firearms. Some of the thefts are at least a year old.

In a news release, authorities said the raids yielded information that links Gullens to pre-arranged thefts, burglaries and drug deals across six counties. The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team estimated that the stolen goods alone were valued at more than $50,000.