Rockford man sentenced to 12 years in prison for selling meth to undercover agent

OREGON – A Rockford man was sentenced to 12 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to selling methamphetamine.

Delano Albert, 35, initially was charged with 17 offenses, including narcotics racketeering, methamphetamine conspiracy, armed violence and possessing a firearm as a felon. Those charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Albert was indicted in June 2023 by a statewide grand jury for charges that prosecutors said happened in January, February, March, April and May in Winnebago and Ogle counties. He also was charged with being an “armed habitual criminal” in a 17-page indictment filed by the Illinois attorney general.

Assistant Attorney General Gregg Gansmann was the special prosecutor for the case, and Ogle County Public Defender Michael O’Brien represented Albert.

Judge John Redington sentenced Albert after he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, a Class X felony.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul spoke about the sentencing in a news release Wednesday.

“Illicit drug sales have a destabilizing effect on neighborhoods and often fuel an increase in other forms of criminal activity,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with federal agencies and local law enforcement to combat trafficking and hold perpetrators accountable.”

Albert sold methamphetamine to undercover agents with the Illinois State Police’s Blackhawk Area Task Force, Raoul said.

“This sentencing means another person found guilty of poisoning our communities with dangerous meth is off the streets,” Illinois State Director Brendan F. Kelly said in the release. “The dedicated work of the Illinois State Police’s Blackhawk Area Task Force, along with prosecution by the Illinois attorney general, is making a difference and saving lives.”

Gansmann handled the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau, which is authorized by Illinois statute to prosecute multicounty cases involving drugs, guns or organized retail crime. Working regularly with state and federal law enforcement agencies, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale organized criminal activity.

Albert had been held in the Ogle County Correctional Center in Oregon since his arrest in October.

During a November hearing, Gansmann said Albert made “numerous” deliveries of methamphetamine and cocaine to undercover officers or police informants. He said one of the deliveries was in Ogle County.