A Barrington man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for 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, 2022, 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 at the time that the victim was a male who lived at the residence.
He was later identified as Joshua L. Burks, 20, of Lake Barrington.
Sheriff’s detectives conducted an investigation and the Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Burks.
It was determined that Burks died of a drug overdose, Covelli said. Fentanyl was a contributing drug to his death.
Detectives discovered Burks had been communicating with Luke G. Napolitano, 23, 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, 2023, 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 was 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 was held in the Cook County Jail on previous charges in Cook County and later transferred to the Lake County Jail 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 at the time of his arrest.
“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.
A Lake County jury found Napolitano guilty of the charges in April 2025.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Napolitano on the drug-induced homicide charges in Lake County due to the multi-county crime.
A sentencing hearing was held on Monday and Lake County Judge Christopher Lombardo sentenced Napolitano to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“While this sentence in no way makes up for the loss felt by the family of Joshua Burks, it is my hope that it provides some healing and relief,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said.
“Fentanyl-laced drugs have devastated Illinois families and communities, and I will continue to use my authority to hold individuals accountable for distributing fentanyl-laced drugs,” Raoul said.
Napolitano’s sentence will be served consecutively to a 10-year sentence he received in a separate case where he was convicted of selling fentanyl to an undercover officer with the Illinois State Police.
