Man sentenced to prison in drug trafficking case

One of the five people charged in 2012 with trafficking nearly 600 pounds of marijuana from Arizona to Illinois has been sentenced to prison, according to Kane County court records.

Dean A. Dziuba, 57, of Darien, reportedly pleaded guilty Friday to possessing more than 5,000 grams of marijuana.

Kane County Judge Susan Clancy Boles accepted the plea.

Other charges against Dziuba – including trafficking marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver – were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, records show.

He was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections with credit for 24 days of time served, according to records.

Additionally, records indicate Dziuba owes more than $20,000 in fines, costs and fees, including $8,730 for electronic monitoring, for which a $15 daily fee was charged. He completed 582 days of electronic monitoring as a condition of bond, records show.

Dziuba was part of a group that had been under police surveillance for several months before their arrest in November 2012.

Police reportedly seized 598 pounds of marijuana during the investigation, which included simultaneous traffic stops on four vehicles in Sugar Grove and Aurora.

Police charged Dziuba after finding about 300 pounds of marijuana in his 2009 Lexus – a vehicle prosecutors said was purchased by a drug cartel in Dziuba's name to use for marijuana runs.

Records show the cases remain pending for the others charged: Batavia residents Richard G. Ecklund and Mary L. Nunez and former Elburn residents Matthew A. and Crystal L. Westerlin.