Feds say this southwest IL man was dealing drugs from his home. Now he’s going to prison

An East St. Louis man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal gun and drug charges on Tuesday.

Charles Curren, 51, was sentenced in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He received five years on four counts of the distribution of crack cocaine and one count for the possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and an additional five years for the possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

He’ll also serve a five-year probation term following his release from prison as part of his sentence, according to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to court records, Curren had been dealing drugs from his home for about a year and a half prior to his arrest. Through a search warrant executed on Feb. 25, 2020, investigators with the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois recovered more than 300 packages of crack cocaine and five firearms

Curren pleaded guilty to the charges on Sept. 22, 2021.

The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois, the Illinois State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

John Trippi, Assistant U.S. Attorney was the prosecuting attorney in this case.

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 11:07 AM.