Aurora man who fled state convicted of dealing cocaine in 2002

An Aurora man who left the state while free on bond following his 2002 arrest has been convicted of dealing cocaine in the western suburb.

A Kane County jury convicted 37-year-old Pedro Giles Tuesday of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, both Class X felonies, according to a statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office. The jury deliberated for about two hours after the two-day trial before delivering the guilty verdict.

Giles and two co-defendants – 50-year-old Javier Perez and 44-year-old Ricardo Lopez Magallon – were arrested in December 2002 during an undercover investigation by the North Central Narcotics Task Force, prosecutors said. Investigators had made arrangements to buy three ounces of cocaine from Perez and met him in a parking lot in the 200 block of South Lake Street in Aurora.

Perez said he didn’t have enough cocaine but could get more, according to prosecutors. He called Magallon, who agreed to help the undercover officers purchase more cocaine and drove with them to the first block of North Root Street to wait for Giles.

When Giles arrived, he sold the officers about 86 grams of cocaine for $2,400, prosecutors said. They then arrested Giles and Magallon before returning to Perez, buying 1.65 grams of cocaine from him for $75 and arresting him as well.

During a subsequent search of Giles’ home in the 300 block of Old Indian Train in Aurora, police found between 400 and 900 grams of cocaine and $1,400 in cash, the state’s attorney’s office said. He admitted to investigators that the money and drugs were his.

After the three men were charged, they posted bond, were released and ran away, prosecutors said. Giles was arrested in Montgomery County, Texas, in October 2014 and extradited back to Kane County in November 2014.

Giles is expected to appear in court again on April 12 for sentencing before Associate Judge Linda Abrahamson, prosecutors said. He faces up to 80 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Perez and Magallon remain at large with warrants out for their arrest, according to prosecutors. Anyone with information about their whereabouts can leave an anonymous tip with the North Central Narcotics Task Force at (847) 608-3242 or at ncntf.org/TIPS.php.