Aurora man pleads guilty in drug sale; sentenced to prison

An Aurora man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for his role in drug sales throughout the Chicago area, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced this week.

David Stewart, 41, pleaded guilty to the unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class X felony, according to the release. A Class X felony is punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

Stewart had 28.53 grams of cocaine in his possession, Raoul’s office said in an email.

Kane County Circuit Court Judge Julia Yetter sentenced Stewart to 10 years and six months in prison.

Raoul charged Stewart and seven other defendants in December 2022 after a joint investigation between his office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chicago Field Division, with several local law enforcement agencies, according to the release.

“Illicit drug and firearm sales have a destabilizing effect on neighborhoods and often fuel an increase in other forms of criminal activity,” Raoul said in the release. “I will continue to collaborate with federal agencies and local law enforcement to combat gun and drug trafficking and hold perpetrators accountable.”

The investigation uncovered known suburban gang members and their associates involved in illegally selling drugs and guns. Stewart was charged after he allegedly sold cocaine to a confidential informant with the ATF, according to the release.

Assistant Attorney General Steven Knight handled the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau. State law authorized the bureau to prosecute multi-county cases involving drugs, guns or electronics, according to the release.

Working regularly with state and federal law enforcement agencies, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.