DuPage judge sentences dealer to 18 years

A reputed member of a drug ring with ties to California and Michigan was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison for distributing marijuana in DuPage County.

Lirim Luzaj, 38, was convicted in July of unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver. He was sentenced by Judge Robert Kleeman, authorities said.

Luzaj was one of 11 people arrested in May 2010 after a yearlong investigation dubbed “Operation Chicago Haze.”

Authorities said he belonged to a group that distributed more than 600 pounds of cannabis a month around the Chicago area.

As a result of the investigation, authorities said they seized roughly $1 million, 11 vehicles and five weapons.

Authorities said Luzaj must serve at least nine years. He already has served about a year and a half in jail, they said.

The case was handled by the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office, the Illinois attorney general’s office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group and several local law enforcement agencies.