57 grams of heroin seized in La Salle County, largest ‘street-level’ seizure in years

The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team garnered its largest street-level seizure in years and, as a result, a Chicago man faces a long stretch in prison if convicted of selling it to an undercover cop in Utica.

Alexander Bryant, 29, of Chicago (also listed in Cicero) was indicted Tuesday on two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, both Class X felonies carrying six to 30 years in prison with no possibility of probation.

Bryant would face a mandatory three-year addition to his sentence because the heroin that police said he sold tested positive for fentanyl.

[ Cicero man charged with dealing heroin in Utica ]

A La Salle County grand jury returned the two-count indictment, capping off an investigation launched in May when an undercover agent with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team arranged the first in a pair of buy-bust operations.

On May 9, Bryant met the agent in Utica and delivered 48 jeweler bags of heroin-fentanyl, police said. A lab later weighed the product at 15.1 grams (0.033 pounds), putting Bryant’s case above the Class X threshold.

Then, on July 25, the agent conducted another $500 exchange, this time for 57.4 grams (about 0.13 pounds), including packaging, police said. Although lab tests are pending, Tri-DENT said that was the largest street-level seizure in recent memory. A street-level seizure is one that occurs with a drug agent performing a buy-bust operation.

Bryant will appear Aug. 22 for arraignment. As a condition of pretrial release, he is barred from being in La Salle County except for court appearances.