The former owner of a McHenry smoke shop – whose alleged drug-dealing was initially described by a prosecutor as “nothing short of a conspiracy against the public” – has been sentenced to jail time and probation.
Michael Brill, 70, of Holiday Hills, who owned Cloud 9 Smoke Shop at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty Feb. 6 to possessing 15 to 200 grams of LSD, a Count 1 felony, according to a judgment order filed in McHenry County court and signed by Judge Justin Hansen.
Brill was sentenced to 120 days in county jail, but is required to serve half. When released, he will be on two years of felony probation. He also was ordered to pay $4,290 in fines and fees and get a drug use evaluation, records show.
Thirteen additional charges were dismissed, including a more serious Class X allegation of possessing LSD, which carries prison time of six to 30 years.
Other charges dismissed include possessing 2,000 to 5,000 grams of marijuana; manufacturing and delivering less than 15 grams of cocaine; multiple counts of possession and manufacturing and delivery of controlled substances and delivery of Xanax; possession of ammunition without a Firearm Owners Identification card; and drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.
On Feb 11, 2025, McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant on Brill’s home, leading to his arrest. Police reported finding more than 1,000 grams of marijuana, 4.6 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 7.9 grams of cocaine, over 30 Xanax pills, “numerous LSD tabs” and other narcotics, Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller said at Brill’s initial court appearance last February.
Miller said detectives also found MDMA, digital scales, packaging material and white powder cutting agents.
“This is definitely a risk to the community,” Miller said. “... It’s nothing short of a conspiracy against the public.”
Brill was detained in county jail at that hearing by Judge Cynthia Lamb, who said the amount of drugs he was accused of having showed they were “not just for his personal use,” according to court transcripts. Brill was later released with conditions, records show.
At that same hearing, Brill’s former attorney, Frank Quatrino, argued for his pretrial release with conditions. He noted Brill’s age and health, and said the drugs have since been confiscated, so there was no threat of him selling drugs to anyone.
Quatrino also said there was “no evidence” the drugs found belonged to Brill or that Brill was selling the drugs.
“We have no controlled buys. We have no sale activity,” Quatrino said, further noting that for the last 40 years, Brill had no criminal history.
Both attorneys referred to Brill’s lack of a criminal history besides a conviction for hallucinogen trafficking decades ago. But Miller asserted he finds that “very interesting.”
Given “the circumstances of this case,” in that it also involved alleged hallucinogens, Miller said it “raises a very interesting question for the interceding 40 years.”
Brill’s current attorney, George Kililis, declined comment Wednesday. However, court documents show Kililis had filed a motion challenging the validity of the search warrant that led to the finding of the drugs and to Brill’s arrest. A date had been set to argue that motion, but instead Brill took his plea deal, court records show.