Aurora Drug Dealer Gets 20 Years in Prison

An Aurora man will go to prison for possessing a large amount of cocaine that he planned to sell.

Jesus Montes, 45, of the 1600 block of Cambridge Drive in Aurora, agreed to a sentence of 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Class X felony.

Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti accepted the plea.

On March 11, 2014, Kane County Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant at Montes’ home. In the garage of the residence deputies found a duffle bag containing more than 16 kilos of cocaine with an approximate value of $1.6 million.

Inside the home the deputies found materials consistent with drug dealing, including ledgers, packaging materials and cutting agents and more than $200,000 in cash.

According to Illinois law, Montes is eligible for day-for-day sentencing. He was given credit for at least 702 days served in the Kane County jail, where he has been held since his arrest in lieu of $5 million bail. Bond was revoked upon conviction.

“Mr. Montes was part of a larger-scale drug operation that was poisoning the neighborhoods of Aurora. His conviction is a victory for the citizens of Kane County,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said.