but it still [ muted ], no matter what. on targets about ten seconds, ten seconds. put your hands up! >> come on. give me three guys up here right away. >> the advantage we have is no one knows, none of those people know that we are undercover police officers working in that area. >> this area, prostitution, drugs, the whole nine yards. >> it's like this every day. it's a hotel. >> the addicts, they place calls from those rooms and the drug dealers bring it to them. they get room service but it's not champagne and candy. >> hey, this is darnell.

>> if i make a mistake and blow my cover it will affect the whole operation. >> looks like a hand-to-hand taking place. >> it's not over for you yet, but obviously the game has changed. this is a main thoroughfare. generally it's female prostitutes up here, and most of them do know all the drug dealers.

>> yeah. where you guys at with this girl and guy? okay. we'll be there in a second. >> little feisty out here this morning. >> you're right by the [ muted ] daycare. >> i'm not by no day care. i'm not doing nothing. >> turn around and look at the sign. ten feet away from the day care. kids are dropped off by their parents. >> we ain't doing nothing. >> you got a dozen rocks on you, man. you were making a dope deal right in the car. >> no. i wasn't doing -- y'all are lying to me. >> yeah? right in the day care parking lot. >> no, y'all lying. >> no more in this area. how many times have i picked you up? how many times have my guys picked you up? every day. look it. turn around. it's a day care. look it. look at the kids, all right? they're getting dropped off, little kids. >> i understand. >> no, you don't, because you keep coming back. >> did you get picked up by your warrant last week? >> i don't have a warrant. >> you learned a lot while you were locked up, huh?

>> i wasn't doing -- >> you were doing a hand-to-hand deal right in the parking lot, dude. i'm going to lie? what the hell is this? >> i didn't do no hand-to-hand deal. i ain't got no money. >> this guy's been arrested i imagine 15, 20 times. there's a lot of dealers like that out here. low level, midlevel. what it is, it's the hotels. there are so many small hotels out here, they're transient, in and out, and yeah, it's like this every day. every day. >> they don't stand on corners anymore. they sell from cars, they move, they try to be mobile to avoid the police. >> officers working mannheim road say it's become a magnet for narcotics traffickers in the chicago area. >> he'll probably be on the second -- >> see those two guys on the corner? that's who he's talking about. >> many dealers are moving operations from the city to the

so-called mannheim strip because of its prevalent sex trade and cheap motels. its proximity to one of the nation's busiest airports also guarantees them plenty of customers. >> these are three rocks, those are $20 apiece. looks like four, six tins of heroin, they could be $10 or $20. they call them blows on the street. this is rocks and blows. >> this area, the mannheim area, has been high on our list of things to do. even before i became sheriff, it was -- everybody knew mannheim road, prostitution, drugs, the whole nine yards. >> 47 prostitution convictions. how long you been out here? 2002? >> we've run into a lot of road blocks. a lot of them because we decide to try to go civilly in some areas to try to close hotels, shut down buildings that are being used for drugs and

prostitution and gangs. one of the things that will get us over the hurdle is making sustained buys and arrests out at some of these locations. >> our goal for today is actually these three, it's a friday, generally fridays, they're stocked up before the weekend. hopefully they'll be stocked up today. we should be able to get some buys. >> undercover dope buys. in a cook county sheriff's police operation known as room service, the case has been in the works for five months now. investigator walsh belongs to a team that's targeting 24 narcotics and firearms dealers, all of them based on the mannheim strip or in the surrounding township. >> we have to be careful because this guy is paranoid. if he sees a car sitting out there and people just sitting in it, he's going to automatically

think it's the police and it may throw the deal. anything else? >> central gang south. let's get ready to rock and roll. >> walls and the central gangs unit have completed multiple undercover dope buys in the past five months at places like the lido motel. >> the addicts, they place calls from those rooms and the drug dealers bring it to them. they're getting room service but it's not champagne and candy. they're getting crack cocaine and guns. >> he and his fellow officers plan to take down all 24 of their targets in a coordinated sweep with the help of two paid sources working the streets. >> our whole case is based off of two informants. they have been golden for us, for our team and what we've been trying to do, you know. we could probably work up there doing buys probably for the next two, three years. but with new targets. that's how many people are actually coming up there on a daily basis to sell narcotics because word is spreading that

they're jumping on the opportunity. >> walls spent three years as a patrol officer before joining the gangs unit. the mannheim strip frustrated him even then. >> the residents of the area would complain to me about the issues on mannheim, but i can only do so much. i can do traffic stops. there were times when i would have binoculars and i would be watching certain houses, certain motels, you know, doing my own quote unquote, narcotics investigations even in patrol. i figured that eventually i would have opportunity to eventually do something up there. then this year i was fortunate, they have given us opportunity to branch out and to do something different. >> something has to be done. you got good hard-working people in these communities up there and their kids are walking down the street past prostitutes and drug dealers every day.

>> they do whatever. whatever he can do to get out, he's down with that. he's totally flipped, to get out of the cage and/or the county, you know what i'm saying? >> today, criminal intelligence unit investigators at cook county jail are meeting an inmate tied to the mannheim strip. he admits to selling crack there. >> you got shackles? want something to drink, a pop? water? >> about seven or eight guys from the area. the area's a hot spot right now. we're going to interview and give them opportunity to help themselves out. you're obviously the first one we're going to. you say no, we're going on to the next one, we're not coming back. let's do it. it's kind of ultimatum, we're not going to waste our time. you want to do something, let's do it or not. just don't lie. he said fine. >> they see potential in this

inmate. we're calling him elvis to protect his identity. >> today we're putting you on the test. today you're on special assignment. answer me this. i know you're a hustler. who was your main supplier? >> sandoval and carpenter lean on elvis for names. >> be advised you see and play. >> while undercover officers expand their web of targets. >> all right. >> police search warrant! u won't find us online, you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our support teams are nearby, ready to help. it's no wonder so many investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

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all right. sarge, be advised we are exiting 290. we're about to get on mannheim now. so this is the area that i initially worked when i came to

the unit. i probably made at least 100 arrests in this area alone within the last two years. between first avenue and mannheim. a lot of your main players, a lot of your big-time drug dealers, the ones that are selling the kilos, they live in the suburbs. they don't live in the city. if someone doesn't do something about what's going on up there, it will be probably just like worse than the west side of chicago eventually because what's happening is that a lot of drug dealers from the west side are moving to this location and they're like so excited because they're making more money in this township than they were making on the west side of chicago. >> but the cook county sheriff's police are hoping to reverse that trend. they've spent the past five months building cases against two dozen targets in what's called operation room service. today, mizell walls and an undercover officer traveling in the vehicle ahead of his will buy cocaine from three of their targets.

they've already met them on prior occasions through a street informant. >> be advised if it gets where i can't see him, i'll pass it off to you. >> the undercover officer or uc, drives to the first handoff alone while walls follows behind as backup. >> today will be his first day doing a buy without the informant there. so today is very important as far as what we're doing. he just made a right turn on butterfield. >> ten-four. >> duck down in case they come out of one of these houses. >> walls watches the dealers trade crack for money with his partner. >> all right, guys, they just served him. the target is walking northbound and the uc is driving southbound. >> moments later, he pulls into a driveway to get another look at the dealers known as snoop and smurf.

>> just turned the radio back on, approaching the block. >> ten-four. >> they're walking our way so i'm trying to [ inaudible ]. >> walls and the undercover officer reconvene at a nearby lot. they have now made two buys from snoop and smurf in the same week. >> these are decent size. this should weigh out, four should weigh out over a gram. >> a gram of cocaine equals a felony charge in illinois. the more dope deals that police make with each target, the better their odds of getting convictions at trial. >> hey, red, this is darnell. give me a call back. >> now they get ready to hit their next target, a female coke dealer known as red. this time, walls will be the one going undercover. >> i use this gun for undercover

buys because it's more compact. if i get searched, hopefully they won't find it. if they do find it, i tell them hey, i'm coming to buy drugs, i'm a truck driver and i take a gun with me across the road so this is why i have it. >> all right, yeah, 10-4. we got a good visual. he's going to park in the back of the taco patio. we'll wait on his call. >> all right. >> do we know what kind of vehicle she's going to be driving? >> she was in the company of ebony. they were driving a green older model toyota camry. >> be advised, car in the parking lot, females.

>> i.d. is good. >> good deal. >> for every hour i do of surveillance without air conditioning, they owe me a case of beer. >> with two solid buys made today, walls and the central gangs unit can move on to other targets on their list and expand their operation's scope. >> we try to get as many buys as we can. if i call someone and they say they're going to sell dope to me, i'm going to go get them. i don't care how late it is. it's just been spreading. we're picking up new people every day. i think last week we did seven, eight or nine buys just last week alone. >> as operation room service continues to grow, an inmate at the cook county jail says that he'll cut a deal with authorities.

the inmate, nicknamed elvis, offers to give up his dope contacts on the mannheim strip in return for leniency with his case. he's locked up on a drug possession charge. >> answer me this. because i know you're a hustler. who is your main supplier? >> right now, i got three guys. one out of bowwood, one out of maywood and another one. >> so you have two in bowwood? >> i know a lot of drugs in bowwood but i don't know them all. >> who can we get -- what's his real name? you want to do him or no? we're not going to force your hand but the only thing i do for you, if you're legit about getting yourself together, you keep your guy safe, you're going to go back to him. you know what i'm saying? but if you want to start with a

clean slate, we eliminate your suppliers, then you're not going to run back to them guys. all we need is a couple, help you help yourself out, you know what i'm saying? the rest you're going to get paid for. if you want to keep moving. >> elvis goes for the opening and drops a dime on one of his main suppliers. >> what's his real name? is he a king? >> no, he's a gd. >> he's a black guy? gd? what does he move? >> [ inaudible ]. >> what else? how much you make? >> if i ain't smoking it, i can make thousands. >> how much are you smoking? >> i party with everybody around me so i'm giving everybody for free. >> how much does he pay you? >> as elvis gives up his crack supplier, little does he know

that police have been chasing that same target for weeks. >> what's up, man? it's darnell, man. what's up? hey, you going to be in the area? i'm going to be back in town probably in about the next half hour or so. >> investigator walls already made one deal with the supplier and wants to arrange another, but the target is playing hard to get. >> he said come when you're in the area, i'll let you know the location. that means he's nervous and he wants to dictate what the location is. >> all right, juan. you got the initial eyeball? i got a good secondary. >> walls sets up a meeting. 20 minutes pass, however, and the target is a no-show. he's not answering his phone, either. >> yeah. this is darnell. i'm waiting out here, man. if you ain't going to make it through, just let me know so i can go to somebody else. ain't no big deal, man. >> for walls, the key is playing it cool. one false move could spell

disaster. >> have to do it right, because if i make a mistake and blow my cover, then it will affect the whole operation because if they find out i'm a police officer, then people will start scattering. >> the target never arrives. back at the jail, investigators search for his name in police records, yet find nothing. >> i know you guys investigated him before. he's been operating. >> he's just a little bit more careful than you. >> coming up on "the squeeze" authorities declare open season on the mannheim strip. >> it's not over for you yet. but obviously the game has changed.

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lot. i think you're dealing with some guys that are moving enough. >> at chicago's cook county jail, investigators have recruited a new informant nicknamed elvis. so far, he's given up the names of a half dozen crack and heroin dealers on the mannheim strip. now it's time to share them with police officers building cases there. >> all of these guys you gave us, whatever you want, they come and give it to you? >> yeah. yeah. >> all of them have everything? >> any one of them. >> investigator sal maura and his partner, an undercover narc, consider putting elvis to work on the street. >> what's the most you usually can get from somebody at one time? what's the most you score? >> depends on what dealer. >> our main concern is that his connections know that he got arrested. he seems to think he says it shouldn't matter, but it usually does.

they're a little leery to deal with them when they know they just got arrested and they know the police are going to try to flip them. so the less people that know, the better. >> i have to tell you about another person. she stayed on mannheim but she serves a major amount of people. >> elvis is right. police don't want to give it away but they do know her. she's one of their targets in operation room service. >> right there. >> be advised target in the parking lot. >> they're all connected somehow. they all kind of know each other or have seen each other or dealt with each other. but it ends up going around a big wheel. it's kind of good when you start coming across the same names. >> you buy from him? what did you get from him?

>> it kind of gives you a good idea that you're pretty much getting the whole crew. that's what we want. >> the ultimate goal for authorities, to build a conspiracy case that ties all of the targets together. maura offers to call the state's attorney about cutting elvis a deal. the inmate is scheduled for a bond hearing soon. >> they're going to assign you an attorney and you got to tell the attorney that you want a proffer and they'll know what to do. >> meanwhile, police continue to follow leads from street informants already in play. >> he sells heroin too? >> yeah. >> today, investigator walls and his top informant, whom we'll call jefferson, are setting up buys with more dealers. >> what's up? it's me. hey, man, i'm sorry. we're ready to do something.

what about you? >> jefferson is the key player behind operation room service. he's a long-time drug addict but with his connections, he's introduced walls and other undercover officers to 16 of their 24 targets. >> when i was in patrol, i actually arrested him one time for trespassing. from that point on, when i came to gang narcotics, i happened to run into him. he told me he'll work for me and that's been it ever since. he's borderline homeless so we try to take care of him as far as doing what we can. >> 10 or 15 minutes. she's on her way there right now. >> they would assume anybody that's hanging out with him is not going to be the police. you know what i mean? so you know, we can't even put a value on what he's done so far. what we pay him is nowhere near what he deserves to get paid for what he's doing.

there's just no doubt about it. >> jefferson claims his motive is more personal than monetary. a close friend of his od'ed on heroin. he says he wants to drive the heroin dealers off the mannheim strip. >> all right, guys. i just placed a call to tiffany. he ordered four dime bags of heroin. >> tonight, walls will conduct surveillance while jefferson and an undercover narc make a buy. >> when they get to the end, they're going to call her and have her come outside. all right, guys. be advised i just talked to the uc, the ci talked to the target. she said she'll be down with the product in like five minutes. she's on her way downstairs now. >> it's a busy night and there's a line of customers. jefferson scores a good deal and sets up another for the coming week. walls knows that word travels

fast on the mannheim strip and that his informant will face a life or death decision. when authorities finally take down all 24 targets, many on the mannheim strip will put two and two together and realize that jefferson set them up. >> i've already talked to him about it and told him he would have to move after this operation's over. there's no way he could stay up here. if he stays up here, they'll kill him. will he move? i doubt it. twins. i didn't see them coming. i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations.

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here's what's happening. i-10 in beaumont texas has been shut down after a pileup in dense fog. so far the cease-fire is holding in gaza. israel says it will act in hamas fires again. president barack obama called ten members of the armed services today to thank them. earlier he tweeted this picture, wishing everyone a happy

thanksgiving. now back to "msnbc investigates. target's out of the vehicle. uc leaving the area. the target's going into his building. >> 10-4. good deal. >> five months into operation room service, the cook county sheriff's police are closing in on a broad network of drug traffickers in chicago's west suburbs. they've built their case with the help of informants and a well-connected inmate nicknamed elvis has offered to set up deals for them, too. >> you buy from him? what did you get from him?

>> elvis confirms for police what they've already known. with two solid street informants already in play, authorities have all the evidence they need to take down their targets. >> it comes to the point where you got to kind of wrap it up because you could keep going and going and it's going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. the main thing is we want to target this particular area against as many people as we know are selling in this area, and try and get as many as we can prosecuted. obviously when we start arresting these people a lot of them are going to want to talk and it's going to lead to other things. >> meanwhile, the sheriff's vice squad is collaring prostitutes and johns along the mannheim strip in an effort to curb the sex trade there. >> what's up? sell the girls out there? huh? just let me know. >> no, man. >> i just want to know. what's the story? >> i just rolled past. that was it, man. >> and what? >> she tried to hassle, you know. i tried to talk to her, she was

pretty. >> she was good-looking. >> yeah. i thought she was a damsel in distress. >> did you have any conversation with her? >> not at all. >> we just came up and arrested you for no reason? >> i'm through. all right. see you later, y'all. >> thanks for coming up. >> unbelievable. >> this morning alone, police have booked eight johns for soliciting undercover officers for sex. and they've nabbed three local working girls, including a 30-year-old who calls herself peach. >> i used to be a heroin addict. i've been clean for 45 days. i'm ashamed. i'm embarrassed. that i had to do this, you know. but you got to survive. >> so you're still booked at this hotel down the strip? >> yeah, until 11:00 today. >> then where do you go?

>> i don't know. >> where's your family? where's anybody? >> they don't talk to me. i don't talk to my family in two years. >> instead of sending peach to jail, these counselors give her another option. they will find her a place to stay if she agrees to enter drug rehab and therapy. >> let me tell you something. don't mess up another girl's opportunity and take up space. i can get you -- we can get you a place today. you're willing to do it? >> yes, i am. >> we will talk to a couple other ladies. we will make some phone calls. you're sitting over there like you need a hug. >> you are not alone. >> it's going to be okay. >> the average prostitute turns maybe eight or nine tricks a day. there's 365 days in a year. 365 times eight over 2,000 men, what would your mental state be? how wonderful would you be acting? what type of drugs would you be on to deal with that type of lifestyle? >> the counselors speak from experience. both are former prostitutes who

worked the mannheim strip for years. >> i was a heroin iv drug user. that's why i always manage to look at their arms, every time i got high i would pray that i could just fade on away. i wanted to disappear. >> when you're sitting in that chair and you got an opportunity to think about it, you want to get out, because there's no sin that i don't want to get out but then fear sets in all of a sudden and i'm like i don't know anything about this. >> about this other world. this is all i've done for ten years. >> if they're going to do what they say they're going to do, but i do know i can turn a trick. it's a comfort for a few minutes. i'm familiar with that. >> this is some of the ways women rationalize the continuation of what they do on a daily basis.

>> listen up! all right. i want to thank everybody for coming out. they came from other districts, friends from franklin park, melrose park. >> it's the day cook county authorities have been waiting for. >> we have 24 targets we got to round up. >> they're ready to hit more than 20 locations in a coordinated sweep that will cap off operation room service. >> the total stats for the whole operation, we have 40 that have already been charged and we have 24 where charges are pending. those are the ones we'll be looking for today. >> they plan to round up many of their targets on the mannheim strip at a hotel and an apartment complex. then they'll capture the rest in outlying neighborhoods. >> our informant is out there today. he's going to keep in contact with me in case there's some people that we can't locate. he'll be able to place calls to find out where they're at. so if we go to certain locations and we can't find some of these

targets, the informant will keep in contact with me to let me know which rooms they're going to be in. >> if we encounter gunfire prior to the breach of that front door, we'll fall back to the van, we'll take a head count, set up a perimeter and treat it as a barricade. >> maintain your professionalism out there. do not forget there will be a lot of children involved in a couple locations so be careful about that. be very safe when you're out there. >> give me three guys up here right away. >> police, search warrant! keep your hands where i can see them! >> we got three in custody. >> keep your hands up. put your hands up! down every block, or a "hugh and crye" in every town. these are the small businesses of america, and all across the nation they're getting ready for their day. hundreds of thousands of small businesses are preparing for november 24, a day to open doors, and welcome the millions of customers who will turn out to shop small.

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>> be advised target in the parking lot. >> target's out at the vehicle. the deal is good. uc leaving the area. >> what's up, it's me. >> west suburban chicago. it's the big game day for cook county sheriff's police after a six-month-long sting operation. >> we have 40 that have already been charged, then we got 24 where charges are pending. those are the ones we'll be looking for today. >> more than 60 officers will raid multiple locations across the township today. investigators have built their case with the help of a street informant nicknamed jefferson, who is also a drug addict. >> who better to have information about a dope house than people who are in that world? that's the people. you're not going to find the local priest having a great deal of inside information. >> ten seconds. ten seconds.

>> just before dawn, the hbt team hits its first target location, the lido motel, where a crack dealer and his family are staying. >> come on up. give me three guys up here right away. >> i need to call somebody to get my kids. >> from the lido motel, the police units split up. one team will take down a high risk target in a residential neighborhood, while another team heads to an apartment complex on the mannheim strip. lieutenant john blair joins the hbt team en route. to suburban north lake. >> now we'll head over and do our second target. this guy is an enforcer for the latin kings. he's a big target. he's a thorn in the side of the suburbs and we'll be glad to get him locked up.

>> they set off a diversionary device. and move in. >> police, search warrant! got stairs going up! >> within moments, police take their target and his brothers into custody. >> there were two kids that were brought out but there's a 14-year-old in there all tatted up in different kings stuff. it's all over his arms, his back, his leg. he's 14 years old. it's part of the lifestyle. that's how they are. >> meanwhile, investigators have captured multiple targets on mannheim. >> seven? got anything on you? look at me, man, when i'm talking to you. do you have anything on you? no needles, no nothing, right? okay. >> they make seven arrests upstairs and two more downstairs. their informant, jefferson, is on site, too, as he helped to set up the sting. >> he's worried because he knows that they know, everybody knows now, so if he stays up here,

they'll kill him. no doubt about it. at some point today i'll have to run to the greyhound and pick him up a ticket. >> allegedly there's a car here that belongs to them. they have a stash spot and tech 9 in it. a ford. i have to talk to the ci. the ci is in custody up there, too. the ci is in custody so i need to get him down here to find out which truck. i'll just get terry to bring him down. we need somewhere to put him. i'm going to be doing this all day. somewhere to store him for today. because they just saw me, they know that he introduced me. really, we'll keep him but they know now just by looking at me. >> as investigator walls arranges for his informant's safety, police continue to chase down targets elsewhere. >> dope gang, brother. >> the people that we're

arresting, some of them we had suspicions there would be narcotics and guns with them and that's pretty much turned out to be the case, but just the number of people we were trying to round up, we have accomplished that pretty much. >> however, the day isn't over yet. investigator walls has one more target to nab. >> what up, red? good morning. good morning. hey, look, i'm about to pick him up. >> he's convinced a female coke dealer nicknamed red that he's bringing her a shipment of stolen tvs. >> what i do, i'll let the boss know you're going to sell them, then you give him a cut or something like that. that way you don't disappoint your people.

>> it's all good. they're waiting for us. >> police catch red off-guard outside her home minutes later. >> there she go. >> this couldn't have worked out any better. >> where is your apartment? >> why? >> where is your apartment? right here. hello? ebony? >> they arrest her partner as well. yet the toll of the dope game doesn't end there. >> can i see my son? i just want to see my son one more time, okay? the grandma's coming to get him. we can't just leave him here by himself right now so we have to stay with him until the grandma gets here to pick him up. then he has to leave. because he's 14 years old. he can't be left there by himself. not when we take two people into custody.

>> what's up? upset? >> yeah. >> made a big mistake, didn't you? >> authorities have seized all but three of their 24 targets. the operation as a whole has netted drugs and cash in excess of $100,000 over a six-month period. >> this one's out of the house with all the kids. inside here was crack cocaine packaged all ready to go for individual sales. >> plus 18 guns and 2,000 rounds of ammunition. on top of that, some of the arrestees are likely to flip and give up even more targets for police to investigate. >> a lot of times, when we first arrest them, they'll play that hardcore role and then you let them sit in cell for a little while, sometimes a few hours,

sometimes a day, and you'll go and talk to them again and their whole attitude could have changed. they're looking at going to prison for a long time and you'd be surprised what they start telling you. >> tell you about another person. >> but even those who talk can have a change of heart. an inmate known as elvis named names and then got cold feet after bonding out of jail. now he finds himself in a jam as one of the many suspects busted in today's raids. >> you're going to probably get charged. it's just a matter of what you're going to get charged with. you know they have two buys. >> elvis gave up good information the first time around so authorities will offer him another chance to flip. >> it's totally on you right now. you still want to get down, you still want to work a number, we'll arrange that for you. it's time to get on board or get off the boat. you feel me? this is the juniper! oh that is magical. [ male announcer ] when you combine creamy velveeta with zesty rotel tomatoes and green chiles,

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all we need is a couple, help you help yourself out. the rest, you're going to get paid for. if you want to keep moving. >> sometimes the most promising informants don't pan out. investigators had hoped that a self-admitted dope peddler known as elvis would help them set up targets in operation room service but he changed his mind after he raised enough money to post bond. >> police, search warrant! >> put your hands up! >> four weeks later, police sweep him up in the room service raids. now he's back in custody, facing new charges and investigators

sandoval and carpenter gave him one last chance to work a number. >> you saw how many people came down. >> oh, yeah. >> how many of those people came down that you were talking to me and him about? a lot, right? we already knew about this thing. we were trying to see how good and solid your information was, whether you were keeping it real with us or feeding us a line of [ bleep ]. it's not over for you yet but obviously the game has changed. >> remember when we said the first person in the car gets to drive? you were the first person in the car. we were setting it up before this came down. all right? there's more targets that we talked about that aren't in here, right? >> you still want to try to work a number, we're going to arrange that for you. you will be given that opportunity because you kept it real with us before. if you don't, you can say you don't and you can leave, go back to the holding cell with the rest of them guys who are going to go down in the conspiracy case. it's on you. the window of opportunity is still there. hasn't closed completely. but now you got to be more thorough. you got to have better stuff. a lot of the stuff he gave us,

they already had in play. so if you can go outside of that box, then we really don't need you. he's of no use to anybody. we're not trying to screw you, understand what i'm saying? you need something, you call, all right? that's keeping it real, all right? >> most all the arrests were for felony charges. it was a combination of the narcotics arrests, gun arrests, prostitution arrests. some of the prostitution arrests would be misdemeanors but the narcotics were all felonies as were the guns. >> on the heels of the room service raids, the police call in the local press to send a message to the public, and a warning to the bad guys on the mannheim strip. >> this is just a small tip of the iceberg. we're going to have to be up here just diligent like every day, all day, 24 hours. because their operation is a 24 hour operation that they have that's going on here. >> we have no delusions that the gangs and the like are going to vanish, the people involved with this are going away.

we are going to stay vigilant. we are going to stay on it. we will continue to work with the community and as gangs and other individuals migrate from the city and try to come out here, let them know that this is as difficult, if not more difficult, than operating in the city and that you're better off going elsewhere. >> in the weeks that follow, investigator mizell walls and the central gangs unit begin developing a new sting in west chicago. they stay in contact with their informant jefferson, who has left the city to build a new life elsewhere. but few who enter the dope game ever get out. if they don't wind up dead, they almost always land behind bars. >> as far as crime, i'm like hey, you do the crime, you do the time. some things i think that in order to better the situation so that society just doesn't completely just crumble to the ground, you have to revisit some of the penalties that are being handed out for some of these

violations. maybe the judges are starting to see that these nonviolent offenses and just sending these guys away for 40, 50, 60 years for crack cocaine or whatever it is is really not really helping the situation. they made mistakes. a lot of them are at a young age, 17, 18, when we all were immature at that age and they made mistakes, it's like they're paying for it for their whole life. >> so the game goes on, 24/7, with no end in sight. >> we're not really here to say you did it. what they're saying is sit down and talk with us, maybe try to help yourself out of this nonsense. if not, that's your prerogative. >> there was a lot of guys that came down in this operation. basically we're going to everybody, one at a time. the first man in the car gets to drive. you know what i'm saying? it's going to come down pretty hard. here's n