East St. Louis Man Sentenced to 10 years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Crack Cocaine

East St. Louis, Ill. – An East St. Louis, Illinois, man was sentenced to ten years in federal prison today for dealing crack cocaine and illegally possessing firearms. Charles Curren, 51, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment for four counts of distribution of crack cocaine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. Curren faces an additional 60 months imprisonment for possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Curren will also serve a five-year term of supervised release following his release from federal prison as part of his sentence.

The crimes occurred between November 2019 and February 2020. The Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois (MEGSI) arrested Curren and conducted a search warrant at his East St. Louis residence on February 25, 2021. Police found over 300 packages of crack cocaine and five (5) firearms during the search of his home. Curren had been dealing crack cocaine from his home for at least one and a half years prior to his arrest. A federal grand jury indicted Curren in November of 2020, and Curren pled guilty on September 22, 2021.

The investigation was conducted by MEGSI, the Illinois State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Trippi.