Brighton Park man caught with 70 kilos of cocaine, prosecutors say

A Chicagoan was charged with trafficking 70 kilograms of cocaine in the southwest suburbs.

Jose Martinez-Gomez, 33, of the Brighton Park neighborhood, was ordered held on $250,000 bail following charges of drug possession with intent to deliver, according to a statement from the DuPage County state’s attorney office.

State police on Monday allegedly observed a semi-trailer exit I-55 onto Kingery Highway on Monday and park near a business that appeared closed, the state’s attorney office said.

Martinez-Gomez allegedly showed up several hours later in a black minivan and moved the drugs into the van, prosecutors said. Officers arrested Martinez Gomez and took him to DuPage County Jail.

The drugs had a street value of over $2 million, the state’s attorney office said.

The charges against Martinez-Gomez carry a sentence between 15 and 60 years, prosecutors said.

Martinez-Gomez was scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 14.