A Barrington man has been charged with selling drugs throughout the Chicagoland area, including fentanyl-laced drugs that led to the death of a 20-year-old man in Lake Barrington.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded on December 1 to a residence in the 25600 block of North Countryside Drive in Lake Barrington for a death investigation.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the victim was a 20-year-old man who lived at the residence.
Sheriff’s detectives conducted an investigation and the Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy.
It was determined the man died of a drug overdose, Covelli said. Fentanyl was a contributing drug to his death.
Detectives discovered the victim had been communicating with Luke G. Napolitano, 20, of Barrington.
Sheriff’s detectives determined Napolitano was responsible for selling the victim drugs the day prior to his death, Covelli said.
Covelli said investigators learned Napolitano was selling drugs in Lake, DuPage and Cook counties.
Detectives consulted with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office due to the drug dealing in multiple counties.
A statewide grand jury was convened on June 9 and the jury issued an indictment charging Napolitano with drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony.
Napolitano is also facing drug-related charges in Cook and DuPage Counties.
A Lee County Judge issued an arrest warrant for Napolitano following the indictment and set the bond at $1 million.
Napolitano remains held in the Cook County Jail on previous charges in Cook County and will be transferred to the Lake County Jail to await trial on the new charges.
“Drug traffickers, like this man, prey on those who are vulnerable and struggling with addiction. There is no place in our society for drug pushers who profit from other’s struggles,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
“I am grateful for the work of our staff and their collaboration with colleagues from across the region. It is our hope that these charges begin to bring closure to the victim’s family,” Idleburg said.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office will prosecute Napolitano on the drug-induced homicide charges in Lake County due to the multi-county crime.
“Fentanyl-laced drugs are incredibly dangerous and continue to wreak havoc in communities across our country,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said.
“I am absolutely committed to holding individuals accountable for distributing fentanyl-laced drugs, and I appreciate the hard work of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in investigating this case,” Raoul said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they were assisted by the Schaumburg Police Department, DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group (DuMEG) and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in the case.