Cary man sentenced to 8 years for accepting 30-pound pot package
A 33-year-old Cary man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to felony drug charges for accepting a package in July 2017 containing some 30 pounds of marijuana and THC edibles.
Nicholas R. Cosmano was arrested and charged with felony cannabis trafficking and other offenses, the most severe of which carried a punishment of six to 30 years in prison.
Cosmano pleaded guilty Friday to one count of possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, which had prison term ranging from four to 15 years, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the most severe charges, under an agreement approved by McHenry County Judge James Cowlin.
Cowlin also will recommend Cosmano go through 120-day boot camp in lieu of prison, but the final decision is up to officials at the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Cosmano was arrested after authorities flagged a suspicious package, determined it contained illegal drugs and waited for him to accept it before executing a search warrant, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, the package contained more than 6,000 grams of marijuana and more than 8,000 grams of THC edibles. Together, that's the equivalent of about 30 pounds of drugs.
Cosmano also must pay $4,525 in court costs, fines and fees, according to McHenry County court records.
According to court records, Cosmano also was arrested on felony marijuana charges in October 2011.
He faced up to five years on the charge he possessed 30 to 500 grams of marijuana. In January 2013, he pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of possession of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana and was sentenced to a year of probation and 40 hours of community service and was ordered to pay $4,440 in fines and fees, records show.
Cosmano's defense attorney Thomas Breen said his client was a good candidate for boot camp because of his work ethic and being the devoted father of a 2-year-old.
"There are many mitigating things about him," Breen said. "He's a wonderful young man and I am sorry he got in trouble."
If Cosmano doesn't get boot camp and is sent to prison, he can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior under state law.