Jan. 29--An Addison man who was arrested along with three Elgin men in a large heroin bust was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison, according to DuPage County prosecutors.
In a negotiated plea, Orlando Pacheco-Ramos, 31, admitted guilt to one count of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, a class X felony.
Authorities say Pacheco-Ramos had about 15 1/2 pounds of heroin in his vehicle when he was stopped by police July 24, 2014, in Addison, shortly after he conducted a drug transaction with an Elgin man and his two sons. The drugs had a street value of $1.4 million, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say the day before the arrests they had received a tip that led to surveillance of Luis Hernandez, of Comstock Drive, and his sons, Andres and Jose Hernandez, both of the 0-100 block of Lynch Street in Elgin.
Police say they followed the three Hernandez men to Addison and allegedly saw the transaction between them and Pacheco-Ramos. All four were taken into custody that night.
Pacheco-Ramos' case was the last of the four still open. Luis, 48, and Andres, 25, both pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2015 and each received a six-year sentence. Jose Hernandez, 28, was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Pacheco-Ramos must serve at least 75 percent of his sentence, minus credit for the approximately 18 months he has spent in the DuPage County Jail awaiting trial. He also was assessed about $6,800 in fines and fees, prosecutors said.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
