Elgin police round up 18 in drug dealing sweep

A two-day undercover drug sting in Elgin netted the arrests of 18 men and women accused of selling drugs on the city's streets.

Police Chief Jeffrey Swoboda said numerous tips from residents and neighborhood groups ignited the police drug sweep. Elgin police worked in conjunction with federal, state and local authorities.

"This really is the result of a lot of hard work by our narcotics division and working in combination with a lot of good information from the community," Swoboda said.

During the probe, 31 suspects delivered drugs to undercover officers or police informants. Police brought those cases to a Kane County grand jury that indicted all 31 people and officers started making arrests Thursday.

As of Friday, police had arrested 18 people.

The following people have been charged with multiple counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, unless otherwise specified:

• Richard Montress, 55, a homeless man in Elgin, whom police said was selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of Observatory Park. His bond was set Friday at $50,000.

• Royal Douglas, 20, of Elgin, has been accused of selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of Observatory Park. His bond was set Friday at $45,000.

• Quitar S. Baker, 24, of Elgin, whose bond was set at $100,000.

• Cesar M. Calderon, 27, of Elgin, whose bond was set at $25,000.

• Andrew A. Collins, 43, of Carpentersville, whose bond was set at $750,000.

• Juan Dejesus, 35, of Elgin, whose bond was set at $500,000.

• Carolyn Einhorn, 18, of Elgin, whose bond was set at $100,000.

• Andres Gomez, 31, of Elgin, who was released after posting $25,000 bond.

• Preston Miller, 22, of Carpentersville, whose bond was set at $35,000.

• Teodoro Ortega Jr., 49, of Elgin, whose bond was set at $500,000.

• Robert C. Peoples, 20, of Carpentersville, whose bond was set at $10,000

• Fredrick Simmons, 42, whose last known address was the state prison in Centralia. His bond was set at $50,000.

Meanwhile, bonds have not yet been set for the following:

• Anabil Hernandez, 20, of Elgin.

• Katay Inthavongsa, 27, of Elgin.

• Edward P. Irving, 23, of Elgin, who is charged with unlawful delivery of marijuana.

• Desmond I. Jackson, 22, of Hoffman Estates.

• Devin L. Jackson, 23, of Hoffman Estates.

• Gary Dominguez, 21, of Elgin, who was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license. Police picked him up on a pair of warrants.

The arrests come months after the Elgin Police Department's special investigation division initiated an operation to get drug dealers and gang members off the streets before summer got into full swing, Swoboda said.

"This is just a continuation of our aggressive stance against gangs and drugs," Swoboda said. "Specifically going after drug dealing also makes a dent into the gang activity - drugs many times is the life blood for gangs."

Other recent efforts to curb drug dealing activity have included an immigration sting targeting illegal immigrants involved in criminal activity, a raid on a known drug house and parole compliance checks.

"We try to act as quickly as we can," Swoboda said, adding that there is a correlation between warmer weather and increased drug sales. "Obviously, it's not just a nuisance to see these things, but it can be dangerous ... because it leads to other types of activity."

Swoboda said the department has had larger roundups in the past and that other sweeps are forthcoming, noting that, "This won't be the last of this type of activity over the summer."