$40 million worth of cocaine found during traffic stop in western Illinois
Two Canadian men are charged with cocaine trafficking after Illinois State Police found more than $40 million worth of the drug inside their semitruck during a traffic stop Friday in western Illinois.
An Illinois State trooper stopped their Volvo truck for a “motor vehicle inspection” about 2 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 in Geneseo, which is about 150 miles west of Chicago, state police said.
“Numerous indicators of criminal activity” were spotted during an initial search, leading to a subsequent inspection in which troopers found about 1,146 pounds of cocaine, according to police.
Vanshpreet Singh, 27, and Manpreet Singh, 36, both from Ontario, Canada, were each charged with Class X felony counts of cocaine trafficking, possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver and possession of cocaine.
Both were booked at the Henry County Jail and are awaiting their first court appearance.
“ISP’s coordinated focus on trafficking is helping keep dangerous drugs out of our communities,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a statement. “From commercial motor vehicle inspections, to daily patrol, to targeted anti-violence and trafficking details, ISP is making communities safer.”
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago Field Division assisted in the investigation, officials said.