With the help of UPS, police said they've recovered 132 pounds of pot hidden in a shipment of wooden clocks.
Roberto Carlin, 38, of the 1800 block of South 61st Avenue in the west suburb, has been charged with marijuana possession and possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver, according to a release from Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania.
The bust occurred Monday, when Cicero Gang and Narcotics officers were notified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that a shipment of three packages containing clocks with marijuana hidden inside had been shipped from Kentucky and was intended for a Cicero address, officials said in a release.
Upon recieving the packages, police K-9 units IDd the shipment as containing pot officers. At the same time, police made arrangements to deliver the packages to the intended address to nab the recipient, police said.
At the address, an officer, posing as a UPS deliveryman, found a note on the window directing deliveries for a "Jose Gomez" to be delivered to the basement apartment.
When the officer delivered the packages to the apartment, the man who identified himself as Gomez was immediately taken into custody, officials said.
The man was later correctly identified as Carlin, and he was transported to the station for further investigation.
When authorities returned to the station, they contacted the State Attorney's office, who advised the officers to open the packages for full examination.
The officers proceeded to find 36 wooden clocks filled with 1,500 to 1,800 grams of compressed cannabis each, totaling 132 pounds. Officials said the drugs had a street value of about $600,000.
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| Roberto Carlin |
