| By Big Radio News Staff |

A Beloit man gets 2 and 1/2 years in prison for running a drug house in a federal law enforcement sting on a local cocaine operation.

Authorities say a federal judge has sentenced 42-year-old Beloit man Ivan Perkins for running a drug distribution house in a cocaine ring the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration busted in September 2023.

The sheriff’s office and the DEA say Perkins was one of five arrested during a federal warrant search on the cocaine ring last year. They say he owned a Beloit area home that was being used to sell large amounts of cocaine.

Authorities say the sting came after a year-long investigation by the sheriff’s office and the DEA, with help from the state Division of Criminal Investigations, Beloit police and the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.

35-year-old Kelvin Haley Junior, the man police say was at the helm of the cocaine operation, also was sentenced in federal court. He’ll serve 8 1/2 years for his role in the drug ring.