19 1/2 years' prison for man in suburban drug trafficking conspiracy
A Montgomery man has been sentenced to 19½ years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to bring pounds of heroin into Kane and Kendall counties.
Israel Tavizon, 34, and another man, Gabriel Aguilar-Velez, 30, were arrested and indicted in summer 2017 on 11 felony counts of calculated criminal drug conspiracy, possession of a controlled a substance — in this case more than 900 grams of heroin and cocaine — with intent to deliver.
“The allegations involve the defendant trafficking controlled substances from Mexico into the state of Illinois,” prosecutors wrote in a motion to have each man prove their bond money came from legal sources.
Tavizon pleaded guilty last week to one count of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance.
He faced a punishment of 15 to 60 years behind bars because the quantity was more than 900 grams, which is equivalent to about two pounds. The charging documents did not specify the exact amount of heroin each man was charged with possessing and delivering.
Judge David Kliment accepted the guilty plea, which also includes $14,000 in fines and fees.
Tavizon had been held on $2 million bail at the Kane County jail since his arrest in July 2017.
According to Kane County court records, Tavizon was arrested and charged with mob action and aggravated battery in a public place after a September 2014 incident in Aurora. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanor battery and he was given two years of probation, a $790 fine and ordered to do 50 hours of community service, records show.
The second man, Aguilar-Velez, is held at the Kane County jail on $200,000 bail and is next due in court Dec. 6. He also faces up to 60 years in prison.
Tavizon's defense attorney, Glenn Sowa, declined to comment on the case, saying there were other co-defendants whose cases were still pending.
However, Tavizon's guilty plea does not require him to testify against other defendants.
Prosecutors also have issued an arrest warrant for Oscar Alejandro Lopez-Rodriguez, 31, of Jalisco, Mexico, for the same conspiracy charges. He is still at large.