Drug dealer gets 25-year prison term

A prolific DuPage County drug dealer was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison after police chronicled his illicit transactions captured in an undercover sting.

Jason M. Dulceak, 30, admitted to criminal drug conspiracy and delivery charges as part of the plea deal. He will be paroled after serving half the prison term.

Dulceak was arrested June 5 after sheriff's narcotics detectives searched his West Chicago home and found 120 grams of crack cocaine, valued at $12,000, hidden under a grill cover in his yard.

Detectives had him under surveillance for a few months and, working with informants, documented several controlled drug buys on video and audio recordings. Three others also face charges.

Prosecutor Paul Marchese portrayed Dulceak as "a prolific crack dealer" who hawked his illicit wares across DuPage County. For example, Marchese said many of the 126 voice mail messages left on Dulceak's cellular phone within hours of his arrest were from prospective buyers.

Detectives began answering the phone, and ended up meeting with 15 customers interested in scoring crack cocaine. Dulceak was arrested at his bank, where officials said he was trying to make a deposit.

If Dulceak didn't take the plea deal, he would have faced up to 70 years in prison if he lost at trial due to his criminal history.

"This (the plea) was in his best interest and that of his family," defense attorney Stephen Brundage said. "Considering the possible penalties, it really speaks volumes about how seriously society and government treats certain drug offenses."

At the time of his arrest, Dulceak was on bond for a 2004 drug sting in which he was accused of selling six grams of crack cocaine. He pleaded guilty to the offense as part of Friday's deal.

His criminal history dates back to when he was a juvenile and includes prior prison stints for drug and battery offenses. DuPage Circuit Judge Robert Anderson presided over the plea deal.