An Arizona mother and son were arrested in the Chicago area on suspicion of trying to smuggle thousands of fentanyl pills from suburban Illinois, police said.
Gloria Gastelum (54) and Germán Vargas (22) McHenry County sheriff’s deputies stopped them Thursday as they were driving through Marengo, authorities said in a Facebook post.
Sheriff’s Office Arrests Two on Fentanyl-Related Charges The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man and woman in…
Contributor McHenry County Sheriff’s Office On Friday, August 9, 2024
The traffic stop was conducted after the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force received information from an undercover officer indicating a large amount of illegal narcotics would be entering the area that day.
Police stopped the mother and son while they were driving a rental car and allegedly found them in possession of 120,000 fentanyl pills labeled as oxycodone.
“Gastelum and Vargas were arrested and taken into custody without incident,” the sheriff’s office added.
The two, from Tucson, Arizona, were each charged with manufacturing and delivering more than 900 grams of fentanyl and possessing more than 200 grams of fentanyl.
“[McHenry County Judge Carl] Scalpel said According to the Lake and McHenry County Scanner, both defendants are allegedly part of a large drug cartel based in Sonora, Mexico, and are flight risks because they have the means to evade prosecution across the U.S.-Mexico border.
