DuPage County man receives 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to felony weapons charge

A DuPage County man Tuesday pleaded guilty to a weapons charge that was the result of an ongoing investigation involving illegal firearm and drug sales throughout the Chicago area, authorities said.

Huriel Hernandez, 25, of Bensenville, pleaded guilty in DuPage County Circuit Court to unlawful sale or delivery of firearms, a Class 1 felony. Hernandez was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to anIllinois Attorney General’s Office news release.

“Illegal gun and drug sales fuel gang activity and make our neighborhoods less safe,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a news release. “This guilty plea is the result of a collaborative effort between my office, federal entities and local law enforcement agencies to address gun trafficking and violence in our communities.”

Raoul charged Hernandez and seven other defendants as part of a joint investigation between his office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Chicago Field Division (ATF), and several local law enforcement agencies.

An ATF investigation uncovered known suburban gang members and their associates involved in illegally selling drugs and guns, according to Raoul. The ATF worked with Raoul’s office and local law enforcement partners to identify and arrest the individuals involved. The other cases are pending.

“ATF will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our local and state law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who threaten the safety of our communities,” ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division said in the release. “I commend the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for their commitment to prosecuting these important cases.”

Deputy Bureau Chief Andrew Whitfield and assistant attorneys general Steven Knight and Neal Thompson prosecuted the cases for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.

Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau is authorized by Illinois statute to prosecute multi-county cases involving drugs, guns or electronics. Working regularly with state and federal counterparts, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.