15 years prison for Aurora man in $2.1 million heroin bust

A 28-year-old Aurora man who picked up a package containing $2.1 million worth of heroin from a bus depot has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to Kane County court records.

Avran T. Lechuga, of the 700 block of Superior Street, pleaded guilty in late November to a reduced charge of possession of 1 to 15 grams of heroin, records show.

Judge James Hallock sentenced Lechuga to the maximum 15-year term, plus a $100,000 fine.

Lechuga had been charged with controlled substance trafficking, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

The Kane County sheriff's department was conducting a drug operation at the Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N, Broadway Ave., in June 2015 when investigators identified a package containing 4.6 pounds of heroin that had been shipped there on a bus.

Authorities waited for Lechuga to pick up the package and later arrested him at his home, where the drugs were found and seized, along with a .22-caliber handgun and $7,600, authorities said.

Under state law, Lechuga can have his prison term cut in half for good behavior behind bars.

He also receives credit for nearly 18 months served at the Kane County jail while the case was pending.