Aurora drug dealer gets 20 years in prison

A large-scale west suburban drug dealer was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday after $1.5 million worth of cocaine was found inside his Aurora home in 2014.

Jesus Montes, 45, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, according to a statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

Montes was arrested in March 2014 after a search warrant turned up 16 kilograms of cocaine, and a quarter-million dollars in cash at his home in the 1600 block of Cambridge Avenue in Aurora, according to prosecutors. Deputies also found materials consistent with drug dealing, including ledgers, packaging materials and cutting agents.

“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,” State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in the statement.

Judge John A. Barsanti accepted the plea and sentenced Montes to 20 years in prison. He was given credit for at least 702 days served in the Kane County jail, where he was held on a $5 million bond since his arrest.