SHERIFF’S POLICE SEIZE NEARLY $6 MILLION IN MARIJUANA
Monday, January 26, 2009 — Cook County Sheriff’s Police seized $5.7 million worth of marijuana during a recent traffic stop, the Office of Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
For the last month, undercover Sheriff’s Police narcotics officers have been monitoring a marijuana trafficking ring operating on Chicago’s South Side. On Friday, Jan. 23, officers executed a traffic stop on a cargo van near 79th Street and Cicero Avenue in Chicago.
Inside the van, but in plain view, officers found numerous shrink-wrapped packages of marijuana. In all, officers seized 139 packages of marijuana, weighing nearly 1,600 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs is $5.7 million.
One person was taken into custody for further questioning, however there are no charges at this time. This investigation is ongoing.