After three months of investigation, five west suburban residents have been arrested in a pot trafficking operation in which authorities seized roughly 600 pounds of marijuana, local and federal officials confirmed Thursday.
According to police and court records, the five suspects had been running pot to the Chicago area from the Southwest United States, said the Daily Herald. The operation included couples from suburban Batavia and Elburn, Ill.
The operation was busted Tuesday night after the North Central Narcotics Task Force agents caught wind of a pot shipment coming to the area, reports the Sun-Times.
Police at the state and local level coordinated traffic stops, pinching a vehicle in far west suburban Sugar Grove and three others in Aurora. Police dogs sniffed out drugs in two of the cars, according to the Tribune.
Authorities estimated the street value of the bust to be around $2.7 million.
The five suspects face varying charges among them, ranging from felony marijuana trafficking to possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver, reports the Daily Herald.
If any of the suspects post bond, set at $2.7 million or $3.5 million depending on individual charges, they will have to prove the money did not stem from drug dealing activities.