(CREDIT: Google Maps)

A GIlberts man was arrested Wednesday (Aug. 1, 2018) and charged with felony drug trafficking after a month-long investigation by Kane County Sheriff’s Office detectives, Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Service agents.

(CREDIT: Google Maps)

According to a Sheriff’s Office news release, 20-year-old Nicholas Bennett of 373 Jackson Court, Gilberts faces three felony charges that have been approved by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office:

• Controlled Substance Trafficking, a Class X felony.
• Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance a Class X felony.
• Unlawful Possession of a controlled substance a Class 1 felony.

Reports said a package from the Netherlands was delivered to Bennett’s home in a quiet residential neighborhood in Gilberts at around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. Once the package was delivered, detectives served a search warrant at the residence.

Entering the residence, detectives identified Bennett as the person who took possession of the package.

Officials said the package contained about 50 ecstasy pills, with an estimated street value of $5,000.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Netherlands is one of the primary sources for ecstasy shipped to the United States. The ecstasy is often produced in clandestine labs with no oversight over the production process.

Ecstasy (CREDIT: DEA Drug Fact Sheet)

The Sheriff’s Office news release said investigators are becoming increasingly concerned that the deadly drug fentanyl has been found in some ecstasy pills.

Bennett was taken into custody and transported to the Kane County Adult Justice Center.

A Kane County judge set Bennett’s bond at $500,000. His next court date is 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, in Room 217 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

The charges against Bennett are not proof of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

SOURCE: Kane County Sheriff’s Office news release