By Nik Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) Federal authorities have seized more than 190 kilograms of heroin as part of an investigation that disrupted a Mexico-to-Chicago narcotics pipeline and resulted in drug charges against 19 defendants.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Over the Top,” spanned more than a year and included a seizure last month of 80 kilograms of heroin from a residence in Hanover Park. As part of the investigation, authorities shut down a heroin stash house in Bensenville and removed an additional 85 kilograms of heroin and cocaine from warehouses in St. Charles and Sugar Grove, and from a vacant lot on the West Side of Chicago. Law enforcement uncovered the alleged criminal activity through the use of wiretapped cellular phones, undercover narcotics purchases and extensive surveillance. The probe was led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and conducted under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
The investigation resulted in drug charges against 19 defendants in federal court in Chicago. Several of the defendants were arrested within the past two weeks, including one this past weekend. Others were charged and arrested earlier in the investigation, including five defendants who recently pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
Substantial assistance was provided by the San Antonio, Texas, office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
@ 2017 WLS-AM News
