Waukegan man gets prison for drug sale near school

A Waukegan man was sentenced to four years in prison Monday for selling cocaine to an undercover police officer in the shadow of a school building.

A more serious charge against Larry Cardona, 28, which would have required him to serve at least six years for selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Roderick Drobinski said Cardona was in contact with undercover agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration negotiating the sale of more than two pounds of cocaine.

On Dec. 30, 2009, Drobinski said Cardona agreed to meet with an undercover agent in a parking lot near Waukegan High School to conduct a smaller transaction.

Cardona arrived in the parking lot about 1:30 p.m. driving a silver Chevrolet Malibu, Drobinski said, and then went to the agent's car to conduct the sale.

The agent gave Cardona $90, Drobinski said, and Cardona turned over a plastic bag containing 3.5 grams of cocaine.

Other police in the area took Cardona into custody without incident immediately after the sale, Drobinski said.

Cardona was originally charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance that would have required him to serve six to 30 years in prison because of the sale's proximity to the school.

But Drobinski agreed to reduce the charge to one carrying a maximum of 15 years in prison in exchange for Cardona's guilty plea.