Evanston couple get 6 years for laundering drug money

An Evanston couple accused of laundering $195,000 in drug money pleaded guilty Wednesday and were sentenced to six years in prison.

Juan C. Fernandez, 40, and Reyna Garcia-Manzanares, 42, both of the 400 block of Howard Street, were caught with the cash in April 2014 and were accused of working with an Aurora man who was busted with nine kilograms of heroin worth $1.35 million, according to authorities.

Prosecutors said Aurora police and agents from the Department of Homeland Security watched an April 1 meeting in Aurora between the couple and Modesto Alarcon on the city's west side.

After the meeting, authorities made a traffic stop and found $195,050 in the couple's vehicle.

Fernandez admitted to police he knew the money he picked up was from illegal drug sales. Garcia-Manzanares told police she would deposit money in smaller amounts into several bank accounts to avoid suspicion and would receive $10 to $15 for each transaction, prosecutors said.

Alarcon was arrested at his home on the 1000 block of Grove Street in Aurora, where police seized $85,000 from his garage in addition to the heroin, authorities said.

Alarcon is being held at the Kane County jail on $15 million bail and is next due in court Oct. 21. He faces between 12 and 60 years in prison if convicted.

Garcia-Manzanares and Fernandez can have their prison sentences cut in half for good behavior. Each also gets credit for about 18 months served at the county jail.