Mount Sterling man facing federal drug charges; jury trial to begin July 5 in Springfield

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — A Mount Sterling man recently was indicted on federal drug charges.

Agents with the West Central Illinois Drug Task Force, in conjunction with a SWAT team with the Illinois State Police and sworn personnel from the Brown County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant on Feb. 1 at the rural Mount Sterling residence of Thomas L. Langan. More than 15 grams of methamphetamine were recovered, along with various items of drug paraphernalia and other items that would indicate the sale of methamphetamine. 

Langan was arrested and eventually charged with five counts of methamphetamine-related offenses committed on Jan. 10, Jan. 12, Jan. 24, Jan. 28 and Feb. 1. The U.S. State’s Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois secured an indictment on May 10 against Langan for the drug offenses, and he will be prosecuted in a jury trial beginning July 5 in the U.S. District Courthouse in the Paul Findley Federal Building in downtown Springfield. Langan will be represented by federal public defender Robert Joseph Scherschligt.

The state charges against Langan were dismissed on May 9 in light of the federal indictment. 

An action for forfeiture of assets, pursuant to the provisions of the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act and the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, was filed in the Brown County Circuit Court by Brown County State’s Attorney Michael L. Hill. 

The pleadings indicated that the residence of Langan, consisting of a mobile home and approximately two acres of real estate, along with $4,402, were used to facilitate the illegal delivery of methamphetamine. The items were declared forfeited to the director of the Illinois State Police by court action on April 11. 

The real property will be sold. The proceeds, along with the cash, will be divided among the Illinois State Police, the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, the West Central Illinois Drug Task Force, the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the Brown County State’s Attorney for use in future drug enforcement actions.

“Through the diligent work of local law enforcement officers, Mr. Langan will face criminal charges again and will hopefully receive a long sentence in prison this time,” Hill said in a press release.

“Forfeiture is a very useful tool that this office will be utilizing aggressively to remove the incentive to commit crimes. If a person makes money committing crimes, we will take that money. If a person uses their home to sell poison in our community, we will take that home. Mr. Langan has a history of dealing drugs in Brown County. Now he will have to find some other place to sell drugs from if he chooses to continue down that path.”