State's attorneys may soon have more power to target gang leaders under a crackdown measure the Illinois Senate approved today at the urging of Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The change makes it easier to prosecute people who organize illegal activities but use others to commit the actual crimes. The bill creates a state version of the federal racketeering statutes.

Sponsoring Sen. Tony Munoz, D-Chicago, said the bill will provide a new way for law enforcement to go after kingpins who orchestrate gang activity but have others actually sell the drugs.

“When you have all the gangs out there, they have the lower ones that are working the streets that are doing the dope spots,” said Munoz, a Chicago policeman who has worked areas in the city where drug sales are heavy.

“They also recruit little kids as young as 10 years old to be lookouts, they have 12-year-olds, 13-year-olds actually selling,” Munoz said.

Emanuel called on the House to follow suit and send the bill to Gov. Pat Quinn.

The legislation represents a “critical tool that will give local law enforcement the power to prosecute gang leaders for crimes that they ordered others to commit,” Emanuel said in a statement. “If someone wants to be part of a gang, we will hold them responsible for the actions of the entire gang.”

In other action Friday, the Senate passed a measure to ban “blunt wraps” and increase penalties for making and selling small amounts of heroin. Currently a conviction of making or selling the drug only mandates prison time if the amount is 5 or more grams. The bill would lower that to 3 grams.

Blunt wraps are sold as cigar wrappers, but sponsoring Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said children are using them to roll drugs like marijuana and crack cocaine. The wraps come in flavors including cotton candy, grape and peanut butter.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

the ban on blunt wraps? really .... not surprised this state is broke..complete retards passing dumb laws.

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banning more things only increases the black market, ergo rise in gang power.

Im %100 certain banning blunt wraps will not lead to an ergo (the fuck is this matrix 2?) Rise in gang power... While I do agree with you in principle...

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New Federal prosecutor taking over for Fitzgerald is gonna love this law.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Im sure this law will be different from the other hundreds of laws enacted to stop drug dealing. Im sure this time its going to stop the street gangs. Yep. This will be the one.

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