Elgin police arrest three drug dealers in one day
Elgin's undercover crackdown on local drug dealers continued this week, culminating with the Tuesday arrests of three Elgin men accused of selling heroin, cocaine and marijuana.
And those arrests, coupled with an undercover bust last week in which a man is accused of selling cocaine to police for $28,000, mean officers are serious about "shutting down" open-air drug markets, Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said.
"We're going to go after the drug dealers no matter where they are at, but when they choose to sell out in the open... we aggressively target them because that becomes a host for a variety of other crimes," Swoboda said. "With the warm weather, we're specifically targeting people selling on the streets - it's a daily battle."
Reynaldo Perez, 19, of the 400 block of Raymond Street, was charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a church and one count of delivery of a controlled substance - both Class X felonies - and one count of delivery of marijuana, a misdemeanor.
Anthony Singleton, a 25-year-old man police identified as Perez's cocaine supplier, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, a Class X felony. He lives in the 900 block of Huron Street.
In an unrelated case, Keith L. Starks, 47, of the 500 block of Willard Avenue, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a park, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, both felonies.
Kane County Judge John Noverini Wednesday morning set bond for Perez and Singleton at 10 percent at $500,000, while Starks must pay $25,000 to get out of jail.
They all remained in custody Wednesday at the Kane County jail, unable to post bond.
In the case involving Perez, an undercover officer on four separate occasions arranged to buy drugs from the teenager, reports said.
On April 16, the officer gave Perez $60 in exchange for 4.1 grams of marijuana.
Then on April 28 and May 12, the same officer bought 3.8 grams and 7.4 grams of cocaine, respectively, in separate locations within 1,000 feet of Immanuel Baptist Church on the city's east side. The officer paid a total of $370 for the drugs, reports said.
On Tuesday, the same officer made arrangements through Perez to buy 56.8 grams of cocaine for $1,575 from Singleton in Streamwood, documents said. Police arrested Singleton right after the 7:20 p.m. transaction and arrested Perez in Elgin later that night, documents said. The drug had a street value of $7,500, Swoboda said.
During another undercover probe that involved Starks, a different officer on May 14 bought 0.6 grams of heroin from him for $80, police said.
The transaction occurred within 1,000 feet of Channing Park and police arrested Starks Tuesday, documents said.
He is due in court June 25 at the Kane County Judicial Center and faces up to 15 years in prison on the Class 1 felony charge.
Singleton and Perez have court appearances June 24 and June 26, respectively, and a guilty verdict on one of the Class X felonies could put them away for up to 30 years.