The parolee pursued by Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera, who was accidentally killed by her partner last year, now faces federal drug distribution charges. He is among five individuals implicated in a significant undercover federal drug probe, which, according to a law enforcement source, was partly spurred by Rivera’s death while on duty in June 2025.
Jaylin Arnold, 28, is charged with collaborating with four others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine from an apartment building on the 8200 block of South Drexel Avenue from January to June 2025, as per federal court documents. The group reportedly used business cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” to market the drugs sold from the Chatham apartment, while drugs, cash, and firearms, including devices for converting guns into machine guns, were stored at a nearby stash house.
On June 5, 2025, while on parole for a felony gun possession—his third gun-related conviction—Arnold was spotted carrying a firearm with an extended magazine by Rivera and her partner, Carlos Baker, near the apartment building.
Rivera and Baker pursued Arnold into the complex, where he fled into a unit. As Baker forced entry, he was met by another man aiming a firearm at him.
Footage from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability shows Baker retreating from the doorway, losing balance, and discharging his weapon, inadvertently hitting Rivera in an unprotected area of her torso. Baker, mistaking the shot for one fired from inside, sought cover and called for backup. He discovered Rivera’s body on the landing outside the apartment approximately 90 seconds later.
Arnold admitted guilt to a state gun charge in April and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Following Rivera’s death, federal law enforcement agencies, as per a law enforcement source, focused on the drug operation at the apartment building where the chase occurred. Undercover officers and a confidential informant began making controlled drug buys from the group, with these activities extending into early 2026.
The operation was allegedly overseen by Tarrell “Patone” Smith and Deshawn “30” Powell, with assistance from Joshua Thomas, Bernard Spencer, and Arnold, according to prosecutors. A criminal complaint from an ATF agent stated that the group mainly distributed narcotics from an apartment on the 900 block of East 82nd Street, using a separate apartment on the 7900 block of South Ellis Avenue for storing drugs, money, and weapons, including gun conversion devices.
The group reportedly used business cards for “Nova’s Exotic Beverages,” which included a phone number for arranging drug sales. After Smith’s arrest, agents called the number, and one of the phones seized from him rang, as detailed in the complaint.
On January 13, an undercover officer and an informant allegedly bought cocaine and fentanyl from Spencer, who retrieved the drugs from a freezer in the East 82nd Street apartment. Spencer reportedly told them that the drugs were available 24/7 if they called the “exotic beverages” line.
On January 22, undercover officers allegedly purchased crack cocaine and fentanyl from Thomas at the same location. A subsequent transaction on February 11 purportedly involved Thomas selling crack cocaine and four bundles of suspected fentanyl, with Spencer present nearby.
Search warrants were executed by federal agents at both apartments on February 19. Smith and Powell were the only ones present in the Ellis Avenue unit when agents arrived. Prosecutors say they attempted to flee but were caught in a stairwell, with Powell allegedly carrying about $5,096 in cash.
Inside the apartment, agents found heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, along with scales and packaging materials. Over $3,000 in cash and three firearms, including two handguns with gun conversion devices, were also recovered. In the kitchen freezer, agents found three bundles testing positive for fentanyl, along with a blender, a coffee pot, a razor blade with residue consistent with crack cocaine processing, and a supply of “Nova’s Exotic Beverages” cards.
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