Police departments will frequently work undercover to catch people committing crimes. While these operations can be small or large, they are very effective in obtaining arrests. In a recent undercover operation, the Elgin police department worked for more than a year to catch suspected drug dealers who were providing heroin to DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane and Cook counties. As a result of this investigation more than 80 people are facing drug charges.
This massive operation was the result of cooperation between the Kane County sheriff’s office, the FBI, the Kane County state’s attorney’s office and ICE. With both federal and state cooperation, these police have been very effective at arresting individuals. At this point, the police have arrested 52 people.
According to police the objective of this undercover operation was to disrupt the supply of heroin in the area. Police say that the drug charges range from felony possession charges to distribution charges. These charges can all lead to serious penalties for the accused including years in prison.
Drug trafficking, or drug sales charges are much more severe than drug possession charges. These charges carry life-long consequences. A variety of factors go into determining the severity of a drug distribution charge. These factors include the type of drug sold, the amount sold, how close the transaction was to a school or park and if children were targeted.
Those accused of drug charges should understand which, if any, of these factor police are claiming took place in their particular case. By understanding the charges, people will have the best chance at defending against them.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Elgin making arrests in year-long drug investigation,” May 31, 2013
