After a 14-month investigation involving seven law-enforcement agencies, authorities have charged an alleged Chicago dealer with drug induced homicide related to the fatal 2018 overdose of a Batavia man.

Junco

According to a news release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Batavia Police Department were dispatched at around 5:15 p.m. on May 23, 2018, to the 600 block of Evergreen Drive for a call for an unconscious and unresponsive subject.

Upon their arrival, they located the victim, later identified as Daniel P. Mate, 25, dead from an apparent drug overdose. Signs of recent drug use were found on scene in close proximity to the victim, officials said.

A subsequent Kane County Coroner’s Office report indicated an immediate cause of death was Fentanyl-laced heroin intoxication, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Interviews were conducted with family and the victim’s girlfriend on scene, when it was learned that a female friend of the victim was with him the morning of his overdose.

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said the female was interviewed by investigators, and it was learned that earlier in the day on May 23, she agreed to drive Mate to the South Side of Chicago and provide him money for the sole purpose of purchasing heroin.

The woman stated that she was present with the victim at the time of the narcotics transaction and only knew the heroin dealer as “Ollie” or “Alejandro,” officials said.

Evidence collected through the course of the investigation positively identified Alejandro Junco, 28, of Sugar Grove, as the man who had delivered heroin that caused Mate’s death after Mate ingested the drugs.

Investigators later interviewed Junco, who admitted he had provided heroin to the victim on multiple occasions in the past, Hain said. Jundo stated in the interview that he was aware that the heroin he was providing contained Fentanyl.

Junco was charged with one count of drug induced homicide, a Class X felony, by the Kane County State Attorney’s Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Kane County Heroin Task Force, including investigators from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Batavia Police Department, Geneva Police Department, South Elgin Police Department, Chicago Police Department and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hain and Batavia Police Chief Dan Eul commend investigators for their collaboration and thorough investigation to bring this case to a close.

Hain reiterated that Kane County residents have many options to avoid drug addiction now, to include the county’s “A Way Out” program to link those in need with addiction support.

“Along with job training and employment connections for those struggling to find a job, we are creating a community where no one needs to turn to crime for income,” he said.

For any of the sheriff’s addiction and employment support programs, the public may call 630-232-8400, text AWAYOUT to 847411, or visit the Sheriff’s Office website at KaneSheriff.com.

This is at least the second drug-induced homicide charged filed in Kane County this year. In May, a 25-year-old Elgin man was charged with the drug-induced homicide of a 25-year-old man found dead April 4 in his St. Charles Township home.

The charges against Junco 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

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