Ketamine, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy Dealer In Joliet Faces 8 Charges After Drug Raid: Complaint

JOLIET, IL —A yearlong drug-dealing investigation involving 36-year-old Joliet resident Roberto Aleman has resulted in eight new criminal charges, but Aleman's lawyer, Cosmo Tedone, successfully regained his client's freedom during Friday's SAFE-T-Act detention hearing.

"In addition to the large amounts of Methamphetamine, as well as MDMA and Ketamine located in Defendant's residence, officers also located four handguns in a bedroom where Aleman's 4-year-old child was located playing video games when the search warrant was executed, one of which was loaded and unsecured in a dresser," the Will County State's Attorney's Office argued. "Aleman's concealed firearm carry permit was revoked at the time of the search."

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Despite the efforts by the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow to keep Aleman detained under the SAFE-T-Act, Will County's longest serving judge, Amy Bertani-Tomczak, ruled against them. She ordered Aleman's release from the Will County Jail and placed him on electronic monitoring and ordered him to remain in the state of Illinois unless he gains the court's permission to leave.

Joliet Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad Involvement

It's not uncommon for Will County drug-dealing investigations to take several months, or more than a year.

In Aleman's case, court files reflect, the Joliet Metropolitan Area Narcotics Unit, an extension of the Joliet Police Department, performed a search of Aleman's residence back on Feb. 25. Aleman resided in the 800 block of Audrey Avenue — which is bordered by South Raynor Avenue and Wheeler Avenue.

"Officers ... observed defendant Aleman grab a jar from the living room area and run to the rear of the residence," the petition to deny pretrial release showed. "Defendant Aleman attempted to run out the rear of the residence and was met by JPD officers who were securing the rear exit. Defendant Aleman had a mason jar in his possession that contained 343 tables weighing 134.7 grams that tested positive for methamphetamine, weight does not include the weight of the jar."

But that was not all.

According to prosecutors, "officers located an additional 1,036 pills weighing 419 grams that tested positive for methamphetamine in the living room area, 15.3 grams of an off white substance found in Aleman's safe that tested positive for MDMA, 12.2 grams of a white powder found in Aleman's bedroom that tested positive for Ketamine."

And then there were the guns.

Prosecutors revealed how Joliet police found one Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver loaded with 5 rounds, a Tisa 1911 .45 cal. unloaded, a Ruger .380 cal. unloaded, and a Stoger 9mm unloaded in dresser drawers in Aleman's bedroom.

There is a co-defendant Courtney Mitchell, who faces two charges outlined in the same criminal complaint against Aleman. Those are unlawful possession of 15 to 100 grams of methamphetamines and possession of a gun without a proper FOID.

Will County Jail logs do not list Mitchell as ever being booked into their facility.

"Defendant Mitchell was present in the residence when the warrant was executed and officers located him in his bedroom attempting to hid approximately 58 orange pills in a floor vent that weighed approximately 22 grams and tested positive for methamphetamine," prosecutors pointed out. "Also found in the home was a white female that was not associated with the residence and Defendant Aleman's minor son aged 4 at the time."

At the time of last week's arrest by Joliet police, Aleman was now residing in the 900 block of Sudbury Drive.

As for Aleman, he was the focus of a February 2024 Joliet Patch crime article that was headlined, "Magic Mushrooms On Floorboard, 4 Guns Found After Wreck: Joliet PD."

The article began this way: "In one of the strangest felony arrests made by Joliet's Police Department in quite some time, officers say they discovered four guns, psychedelic mushrooms and all kinds of pills inside the damaged car of 33-year-old Joliet motorist Roberto Aleman after he had a head-on collision along Oneida Street, the arrest reports show.

"Aleman was taken to the Joliet police station and later released on his notice to appear on six counts of possession of cannabis by a driver plus one count of possession of marijuana by the driver."