Final cocaine case settled by ex-Lake County man

A man already serving sentences imposed for drug charges in state and federal court took care of the last pending case against him Monday in Lake County Circuit court.

Jack Papandreou, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to a criminal drug conspiracy charge from 2003. Assistant State's Attorney Ken LaRue said Papandreou, formerly of Benton Township, tried to arrange financing for the purchase of a pound of cocaine between Sept. 15 and Oct. 23, 2003. What officials found particularly egregious about the offense, Larue said, is that Papandreou was already serving a state prison term for drugs and was awaiting sentencing in a federal drug case.

The saga began on Aug. 16, 2002, when Papandreou was arrested while trying to buy 8 pounds of cocaine in a Gurnee hotel room. Five days later, he was among 37 people indicted by the U.S. Attorney's office in Milwaukee for selling drugs in several different states since 1991.

Papandreou pleaded guilty in the Gurnee case in August 2003, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was transferred to federal authorities to await resolution of that case.

It was from a jail cell in Waukesha, Wis., that Papandreou set up a deal for a pound of cocaine that snared not only himself but two of his brothers as well.

A police informant was serving as the broker in the deal, and originally called Gus Papandreou, formerly of Grayslake, to come and pick up the package in a Gurnee parking lot on Oct. 23, 2003.

He did so, and was arrested when he arrived.

The informant then called Elias Papandreou, then of Ela Township, to come for the package and he met the same fate.

Gus Papandreou, 31, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison and Elias received a 6-year term.

LaRue said Jack Papandreou's new sentence will not begin to run until his parole date of Aug. 11, 2012 from his original 20-year state term.

Papandreou's 17-year federal term runs concurrent with both state court sentences, LaRue said, and he is eligible for parole in that case on May 29, 2018.