The new DuKane Sheriff Task Force seized illegal drugs with a street value of $150,000 and arrested a Melrose Park man in its first action together since finalizing the agreement weeks ago, according to a news release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
During a search of the vehicle, a Kane County Sheriff’s detective found hidden compartments in the car’s floorboard that contained 6.27 pounds of cocaine, 170.51 grams of crack cocaine, 37.23 grams of fentanyl, 1.49 pounds of cannabis and $5,000, the release stated.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick stated in an email that he was “happy that our new cooperative effort is bearing fruit so fast.”
“Most troubling about this arrest is the amount of deadly fentanyl that was destined to wreak more havoc on our community,” Mendrick’s email stated. “Nationwide, our overdose rates are at an all-time high and what we took off the road Wednesday is what’s contributing to those numbers.”
Jose R. Valdez, 44, of the 1300 block of North 24th Avenue, Melrose Park, was charged with the Class X felonies of delivery of cocaine over 1,000 grams; delivery of fentanyl, 15 to 100 grams; Class 3 felony delivery of cannabis, 500 to 2,000 grams; a Class 4 felony for installing a false compartment to transport controlled substances; and misdemeanor possession of cannabis by a driver, according to the release.
Valdez was first held in the Kane County jail, then transferred to DuPage where he is being held on $500,000 bond, according to an email from Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain. Valdez would have to post $50,000 or 10% as bail in order to be released. His next court date is Jan. 5 in DuPage County.
The sheriff’s detective stopped Valdez’s car at 1 p.m. Dec. 1 on I-88 at Route 59 in DuPage County for traffic violations. Hain stated he could not release details about the vehicle Valdez was driving, nor the traffic violations, so as not to impede future investigations.
During the stop, the detective smelled the odor of raw marijuana, Hain stated in a text message, giving him probable cause to search the vehicle, eventually finding the two hidden compartments.
In the release, Hain credited this arrest and seizure of dangerous drugs “to the high level of training, experience and commitment his detectives possess, along with the force-multiplier and excellent professional relationship they maintain with their DuPage counterparts.”
In a text, Hain wrote that “force-multiplier” means “2 x 2 = 4, thereby doubling the police forces looking for this type of contraband.”
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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