CENTRALIA, IL — Elm Street in Centralia was closed early Thursday morning from Noleman to north of McCord as Centralia police, in conjunction with the FBI Drug Task Force executed search warrants on three separate addresses.

According to Centralia Police Chief Greg Dodson, the three warrants were in relation to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation inside the City of Centralia. Around 6 a.m. Thursday, an FBI SWAT Team executed the Search warrant at a residence located in the 1000 Block of Case Street. Two additional FBI SWAT Teams executed two search warrants in the 300 block of North Elm Street Additionally, Task Force agents obtained an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Ricardo Little, of Centralia, and  40-year-old Bobby Everett, of Centralia. Everett was taken into custody at the Elm Street address and Little was taken into custody at the Case Street address. Eight other subjects who were also taken into temporary custody were questioned and released pending further investigation.

During the search of the residences, law enforcement seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, marijuana, several firearms, ammunition and US Currency. As well as a marijuana grow operation that was discovered at one of the locations.   Dodson explains that in October 2021, an attempted traffic stop in Centralia led to a high speed pursuit of two subjects who were leaving the residence on North Elm Street that ended in Jefferson County. Local task force officers were conducting surveillance on the residence and observed suspicious activity involving a small white vehicle at the residence. At the end of the pursuit, Mark Riggs and Jonathan Wallace were taken into custody. Information gathered during this investigation led to the search warrants and arrest warrants for drug trafficking that were executed today. Riggs appeared in court Thursday and pleaded guilty to the charges relating to the pursuit. He agreed to a negotiated sentence of two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Also involved in this drug investigation was Ricosha Young, formerly of Centralia.  Young was arrested without incident at her residence in Mt. Vernon Thursday morning as well. Little, Everett and Young are being detained and will be arraigned on charges stemming from their warrants by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois in East St Louis. This operation was the result of an ongoing investigation conducted by the FBI and local Law Enforcement Investigators assigned to the Federal Drug Task Force.

This operation involved Agents from the Springfield & Fairview Heights FBI office, Officers from the Carlyle Police Department, Clinton Co Sheriff’s Department, Marion Co Sheriff’s Department, Salem Police Department, Bond County Sheriff’s Office, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Vernon Police Department and the Centralia Police Department. These types of operations are an example of local law enforcement, working in partnership with Federal agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to combat the drug problems in our area.