La Salle man charged in cocaine mailing won’t be detained

A La Salle man charged with possessing a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of cocaine – mailed from Puerto Rico, police said – will not be held in La Salle County Jail while awaiting trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Luis Y. Quinones-Pereira, 26, is charged with controlled substance trafficking and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver (cocaine). Prosecutors allege he took possession of a parcel (addressed to an intermediary) containing 2.2 pounds of cocaine. Police also seized a pair of firearms in the Friday raid.

Prior to the implementation of the SAFE-T Act, the guns and contraband would have resulted in Quinones-Pereira being held on at least $1 million bond. Under the SAFE-T Act, however, Illinois now is a no-cash bail state and prosecutors must spell out a detailed case for pre-trial detention.

At a Tuesday detention hearing in La Salle County Circuit Court, Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. ruled that the state’s evidence fell short. Quinones-Pereira must surrender his passport, the judge ruled, but will not remain in county custody.

Prosecutor Jason Goode said the size of the drug seizure, coupled with the presence of firearms, made Quinones-Pereira a threat to the public and that he needed to be held pending trial.

But public defender Ryan Hamer said the SAFE-T Act requires detailed evidence presented to the court in support of detention yet the defense was given a summary report less than two pages in length.

Ryan acknowledged the guns and drugs – “I understand the threat, I get it” – but he nonetheless decided there wasn’t enough preliminary evidence to meet the statutory requirement.

Ryan set an Oct. 27 date for appearance with the public defender and arraignment. A La Salle County grand jury meets next week to review the charges filed.

Over the past few weeks, prosecutors and defense attorneys have tested the limits of the SAFE-T Act with mixed results. To date, all murder suspects have been detained while low-level drug possession suspects have been granted pre-trial release.

High-level drug cases have yielded divergent rulings with respect to detention and Quinones-Pereira’s case isn’t necessarily precedent-setting. There has been one other Super Class X drug offense filed since the advent of no-cash bail and that suspect was detained.

Quinones-Pereira might not stay in jail but prison remains a serious concern. His primary felony count carries a mandatory sentence of 30 to 120 years with no possibility of probation. He would have to serve at least 75% of his sentence under the state Truth in Sentencing Act.

He was charged Friday after agents with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team, assisted of the La Salle County Sheriff’s Department, La Salle and Ottawa police and US Postal Inspectors Office, tracked a suspicious package mailed from Puerto Rico.

During the resulting search and seizure, police seized a pistol and an AR-15 style rifle. Both weapons remain confiscated.