Elgin police arrest pair of alleged drug dealers

Elgin police say they continued their crackdown on the local drug trade Thursday by putting two suspected mid-level drug dealers out of business.

Raul R. Lara, 23, of the 200 block of Crystal Street in Elgin, and Elauterio Pacheco, 27, of the 600 block of East Baldwin Road in Palatine, face felony drug charges alleging they delivered two kilograms of cocaine to an undercover officer within 1,000 feet of the Grant School Skate Park, police said.

Acting on information that the pair were dealing large quantities of cocaine in Elgin, police said they set up a drug buy with the undercover officer Thursday afternoon in broad daylight.

Lara was charged with delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a park, two counts of delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Pacheco, who police said brokered the drug deal, has been charged with delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

Officers seized drugs having a street value of $300,000, police said.

Kane County Judge John A. Noverini set the men's bail Friday at $2 million, meaning they must each post $200,000 bond to get out of jail.

But they can't go free after posting bond until they go through a special state hearing to determine where they got their bond money. Prosecutors said this is a standard request in larger drug cases.

Both are in custody at the Kane County jail, unable to post bond. Their next court date is Sept. 22 at the Kane County Judicial Center. If found guilty of the most serious charges, each faces up to 30 years in prison.

Elgin officers, meanwhile, have arrested more than a dozen drug dealers this summer, police said.