Las Vegas man sentenced in Palatine drug bust

A Las Vegas man will spend the next few years in the considerably cooler climate of an Illinois prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to charges related to 172 pounds of marijuana police found last July inside a video arcade game.

The game was recovered at a parking lot on the 300 block of North Eric Drive in Palatine.

In July, police charged Kevin Dixon, of the 5000 block of South Torrey Pines, Las Vegas, with trafficking and possession of cannabis with intent to deliver.

Dixon, 24, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in a plea deal at the Rolling Meadows courthouse. As part of the negotiated plea, the court will recommend Dixon for admission into the boot camp program.

According to authorities, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration had been investigating the transportation of drugs from Arizona to Palatine when Palatine officers and DEA agents intercepted the shipment, which had an estimated street value of $175,000, and arrested Dixon.

Boot camp is available to first- or second-time offenders under age 36 facing a sentence of eight years or less. A prisoner who fails to complete the rigorous, 120-day program must serve out the remainder of his or her sentence.