United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHICAGO — Robert Bell, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration-Chicago Division, and U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., of the Northern District of Illinois, announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a suburban Chicago man for allegedly trafficking cocaine and illegally possessing a loaded handgun.

An indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges Gilberto Almanza, 44, of North Chicago, Ill., with two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking activities. 

The charges in the indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life.  Almanza is currently detained in federal custody.  Arraignment is set for Friday at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly.

According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, Almanza distributed approximately 46 kilograms of cocaine on Sept. 2, 2021. The delivery occurred in a restaurant parking lot in Bolingbrook, Ill., the charges allege. Unbeknownst to Almanza, the individual to whom Almanza delivered the cocaine was cooperating with law enforcement, the charges allege.

A second drug deal allegedly occurred last month at Almanza’s residence. Another individual surreptitiously cooperating with law enforcement bought approximately half a kilogram of cocaine from Almanza, the charges allege. Law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Almanza’s residence on March 17, 2022, and discovered approximately two kilograms of cocaine and the loaded handgun, the charges allege.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan DeMarco and A.J. Dixon.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.