Malcolm J. Brown, 35, of Chicago.

A convicted felon and gang member was sentenced to 16 years for selling cocaine to undercover detectives in Lake County and other counties and buying guns from the detectives, authorities said.

Malcolm J. Brown, 35, of Chicago, was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, six counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and unlawful possession of a machine gun by a felon.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Group and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division conducted an undercover operation into Brown.

Now-Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time that Brown had numerous discussions with detectives in March 2020 about selling cocaine and buying firearms.

Brown was suspected of dealing drugs in numerous counties in northern Illinois, Covelli said.

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Brown sold undercover detectives over 60 grams of cocaine at a location in Lake County and on another occasion, he sold over 65 grams of cocaine at a location in Will County, Covelli said.

On a third occasion, Brown sold over 75 grams of cocaine and purchased three firearms from an undercover ATF agent in Will County, Covelli said.

He was arrested at that time and found to be in possession of an additional 140 grams of cocaine.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office led the prosecution because Brown committed crimes in more than one county.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Wednesday that Brown has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class X felony.

“Since taking office, I have made it a priority to use all of the tools at my disposal to address the epidemic of gun violence in our communities,” Raoul said.

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“I will continue to partner with local law enforcement and federal agencies to identify and hold perpetrators accountable,” Raoul said.

“Yet again, through collaboration with our federal and state partners, our Special Investigations Group played a significant role in holding a drug trafficker accountable,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.

“We are grateful to all of the partner agencies involved in keeping our community safe, and thank the Attorney General’s Office for their diligence in the prosecution,” Idleburg said.