Two men have been charged after US authorities seized 339½lb of cocaine and about $700,000 (£520,000) in cash from a home in River Grove, a suburb of Chicago.
Burhan C. Ozerdinc, 33, of Oak Lawn, and Ahmad S. Sanducka, 33, of Mount Prospect, were arrested when Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched the property earlier this week.
The DEA said the drugs were worth millions of dollars. Both men face charges of possessing a controlled substance and possessing more than 900 grams of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
What investigators found in River Grove
The search warrant was executed as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Federal court documents say investigators had been watching the men for several days as they travelled between a nearby warehouse and the River Grove house.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed them loading large boxes into vehicles. Agents said they later found the cocaine, cash, a money-counting machine and heat-sealing equipment inside the property.
The scale of the seizure makes it one of the largest cocaine discoveries reported in the Chicago area in recent years, although the eventual value and evidential significance will be determined during the court proceedings.
The operation involved about 10 law-enforcement agencies, including K9 teams. The DEA’s Chicago Field Division led the investigation, with assistance from US Customs and Border Protection, the Chicago Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Group.
Officers from Buffalo Grove, Elmhurst, Elgin, Woodridge and Justice also took part, along with the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
A judge granted prosecutors’ requests for pre-trial detention, meaning both defendants were ordered to remain in custody while the cases continue. They were due to appear in court on Friday, 18 September, for a preliminary hearing.
The allegations have not been tested at trial. Both men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
