Federal prosecutors revealed a massive case, Thursday, accusing more than two dozen people with various charges relating to the shipment of cocaine and heroin through Chicago’s Union Station.
Among the defendants, an Amtrak employee accused of stealing a package of cocaine when it arrived in Chicago.
The investigation, code-named Operation Derailed, led to the confiscation of more than 30 kilos of heroin, one kilo of fentanyl, seven guns, and more than $1.8 million in cash.
The charges allege that large quantities of heroin and cocaine were shipped from Los Angeles to Chicago aboard Amtrak trains, with the drugs concealed in commercial packages like auto parts and pool filters. Some of those shipments reportedly included GPS tracking devices, allowing the shippers to monitor the drugs as they made their way across the United States.
The indictments say some of the defendants transported drugs via Federal Express from Los Angeles to Chicago-area hotels.
“Our office is working harder than ever with the DEA and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to stop the flow of dangerous narcotics and opioids into Chicago,” U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said in a statement. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute the drug traffickers responsible for bringing these drugs into our communities.”
