3 charged after police dogs find 9 kilos of cocaine in vehicle

SHARE 3 charged after police dogs find 9 kilos of cocaine in vehicle
screen_shot_2017_02_03_at_4_50_51_pm.png

Ernesto Zuniga (left), Jose E. Lopez and Adrian Montanez | Will County sheriff’s office.

Three Chicago men were charged after police and K-9s found about $200,000 worth of cocaine in two vehicles on Thursday.

The men were suspected of trafficking illegal drugs from Texas through Will County and into the Chicago area, according to the Will County sheriff’s office.

At 8:23 p.m. Thursday, deputies stopped two vehicles near I-57 and Wilmington-Peotone Road after receiving information from another law enforcement agency, according to the sheriff’s office.

Inside the vehicles were 40-year-old Jose Lopez, 50-year-old Ernesto Zuniga, and 43-year-old Adrian Montanez, police said. Deputies who spoke with the men said they appeared evasive in their answers to routine questions.

The K-9 unit was called and police dogs indicated possible illegal drugs in one of the vehicles, police said. After a search, deputies recovered nine kilograms of cocaine. Investigators determined that all three men were involved.

Lopez, of the 2800 block of West 40th Street, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and cited for improper turn signal and having an expired driver’s license, police said. Zuniga, of the 1800 block of Mayfair Avenue; and Montanez, of the 2700 block of South Spaulding, were charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.

All three were taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where they are awaiting a bond hearing.

The Latest
Donald Trump is selling $60 Bibles, and if Jesus had not been resurrected, he most certainly would be rolling over in his grave.
Over the course of just six fast-paced episodes, Esposito creates a memorable character in this crime drama based on the BBC One series “The Driver.”
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, chair of the City Council’s Education Committee chair, said she’s disappointed that Johnson and his allies in the Chicago Teachers Union backed away from the fully-elected, 21-member board he once supported. “This is not going to be as easy a transition as people think,” she said. “We’re used to a top-down system.”
Alex Caruso has been looking for a defensive showing like the one he and his teammates put on display in the win over the Pacers, but Caruso also knows it needs staying power. Could Javonte Green help that process moving forward?
Christian I. Soto, 22, was charged with murder, attempted murder and home invasion, officials announced Thursday. Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said earlier investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks.