An Elgin man and career criminal was sentenced Friday to 20 years in federal prison for possessing a handgun while getting ready to sell crack cocaine.

Darris Hyte, 31, was arrested in June 2008 in Elgin with 31.5 grams of crack and a .40 caliber pistol with a scratched off serial number, authorities said.

Because Hyte had a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, he faced a minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a maximum term, under federal law.

His guilty plea in June meant he was a considered a "career offender" because of two previous convictions for drug trafficking, resulting in a stricter sentencing range in his case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Weisman said the federal prison system does not have day-for-day credit like the state of Illinois, meaning Hyte likely will serve nearly all of the 20 years.

"It's part of our effort to aggressively prosecute gun cases," he said.

Elgin police and the FBI's Chicago bureau investigated the case as part of the FBI's Safe Streets Initiative.