DEA busts suspected cocaine dealer in Schaumburg

A Crystal Lake man who authorities say claimed to sell drugs throughout Illinois and Canada, faces five to 50 years in prison after his arrest in Schaumburg this week on allegations he tried to buy 11 kilograms of cocaine from undercover federal drug agents.

Kenneth Cahill, 49, is scheduled to appear at a federal detention hearing Friday on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Cahill, who is in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, formally pleaded not guilty to the charge at an arraignment Wednesday. His attorney, Barry Spector, declined to comment Thursday.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Cahill Tuesday afternoon outside a coffee shop in the 1500 block of East Golf Road, court documents state.

The arrest followed a five-week DEA investigation launched, according to court documents, when Cahill contacted an agent posing as a drug distributor in Texas. During one conservation, documents indicate, Cahill told the agent he wanted to purchase 10 to 20 kilograms of cocaine a week that he would later distribute in Illinois and Canada.

Cahill, according to a DEA agent’s affidavit, negotiated a price of $220,000 for 11 kilograms of cocaine and then traveled to Texas last week to meet with the officer posing as a dealer and arrange to buy 11 kilograms of cocaine.

During the meeting, documents state, Cahill turned over $10,000 and agreed to provide another $10,000 when the first kilogram was delivered to him in Illinois.

On Tuesday, documents state, Cahill agreed to meet another agent, posing as the Texas dealer’s cousin, at the Schaumburg business to complete their transaction.

After turning over a bag full of cash inside the coffee shop, the affidavit states, Cahill stepped out to the parking lot to get the cocaine. But instead, he was arrested by DEA agents.