Agents seize guns, $180,000 of drugs in Ottawa, Marseilles busts

Two La Salle County men could face decades in prison after a Monday traffic stop and drug raid that yielded guns and $180,000 worth of cocaine, marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.

Thomas J. Higgins, 45, of Ottawa, appears to be in the most trouble. Already facing a still-pending felony charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, Higgins now is charged with possessing a rifle and was linked to two “stash houses” where police seized additional firearms and drugs.

“Any time you have drugs and guns, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

—  Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr.

Higgins appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court with La Salle defense attorney Louis Bertrand. Prosecutors presented Higgins with four charges including three counts of being an armed habitual criminal and armed violence, all Class X felonies. Prosecutors have not yet computed Higgins’ complicated sentencing ranges.

Higgins waived his right to a detention hearing within 48 hours and agreed to a delayed hearing on Dec. 22, by which time a La Salle County grand jury will have reviewed Higgins’ charges. The delay also gives Bertrand time to wade through extensive discovery produced following the Dec. 4 traffic stop and drug raid.

These resulted in charges against a second suspect who was ordered detained in a separate hearing Wednesday.

Brennen Lee Jorgenson, 27, of Marseilles, is charged with three Class X felonies carrying six to 30 years in prison. These include unlawful possession of cannabis (more than 5,000 grams) with intent to deliver, unlawful possession of a controlled substance (more than 200 grams of psilocybin mushrooms) and unlawful possession of a machine gun by a felon. Jorgenson also is charged with seven counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony.

On paper, Higgins and Jorgenson’s cases are separate. But an undercover agent with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics team said a confidential informant tipped off drug agents that Higgins was in possession of a prohibited firearm and had access to a “stash house” in Marseilles, later identified as Jorgenson’s residence.

“Everything (the informant) said was spot-on,” said the TRI-DENT agent.

Higgins was detained following a traffic stop and then TRI-DENT obtained a search warrant for the stash house, located in the 200 block of Schumacher Street.

Drug agents seized a grand total of 18 grams of cocaine, 26 pounds of purported psilocybin mushrooms (believed to be a La Salle County record), 54 pounds of purported cannabis flower, 2,983 THC cartridges, 1,593 THC vapes, 2 pounds of THC concentrate and 177 jars of THC wax.

Agents also seized eight illegal firearms including a Glock pistol modified to be fully automatic and multiple high-capacity magazines.

Jorgenson appeared Wednesday with Ottawa defense attorney Duane Berklund, who asked Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. to consider granting Jorgenson pre-trial release.

Berklund argued that Jorgenson has a minor child and there was no evidence presented that the child was around the guns or purported contraband. He also argued Jorgenson is no flight risk, having a job and extensive family ties in La Salle County, and that there was no evidence the guns every left the house or that Jorgenson carried or fired them.

“I think there’s a big difference between allegedly possession something and allegedly using something,” Berklund said.

In response, prosecutor Jason Goode argued the sheer volume of drugs indicated a “high-scale operation” – the mushrooms alone were 50 times above the Class X threshold – and Jorgenson had no business possessing any firearm, let alone a Glock that had been manipulated to spray fire.

“A lot of the letters depict him as a father-of-the year candidate,” Goode said, citing sealed evidence from one of Jorgenson’s other criminal matters. “I’m going to dispute that a little.”

The judge agreed. Ryan said the tandem of firearms and controlled substances made Jorgenson a risk to the public with no reasonable terms of release.

“Any time you have drugs and guns, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Jorgenson will next appear Dec. 21 for arraignment.