On Feb. 23, an Illinois judge sentenced a 45-year-old man to 35 years in prison after he was convicted of drug trafficking and illegal firearms charges. He must also complete eight years of supervised release once he’s out of prison.
The defendant, who lives in Champaign, was taken into custody in late 2016 for dealing over a kilogram of crack cocaine. At the time of his arrest, he had cocaine, heroin, various other illicit drugs and three semi-automatic firearms in his possession. In September 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking in October.
The defendant’s sentence included 10 years for drug trafficking and a mandatory minimum of 25 years for the possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking charge. The investigation was conducted by the Champaign Street Crimes Task Force in cooperation with the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the Urbana Police Department and the University of Illinois Police Department.
Drug trafficking is a serious criminal charge that can lead to harsh consequences for those who are convicted. A typical sentence could include a lengthy prison term and significant fines. The penalties are even greater if firearms are involved. Therefore, a defendant facing drug charges may want to retain the services of a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. An attorney could seek to undermine the prosecution’s case if the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated during the search that led to the seizure of the drugs.
Source: Illinois Home Page, “Guns, drug trafficking earn man 35-years”, Betty Simpson, Feb. 26, 2018
