Seven men were arrested after federal agents seized about 21,800 pounds (about 9.9 tonnes) of marijuana packed in six railroad cars from Mexico at a warehouse in Chicago Heights.[1][2] Officials called it the largest marijuana seizure in the Chicago area in years, valued at about $22 million.[1][2]
Customs and Border Protection officers in Eagle Pass, Texas, found the marijuana on 17 November 2010 on a Union Pacific train bound for Chicago Heights whose manifest listed titanium ore.[1][2] Officers saw large bundled “super sacks” in six cars, a canine alerted, and opened sacks revealed cubic bundles encrusted in red masonry dust that field-tested positive for marijuana.[1] About 109 super sacks held the bundles, and 13 bundles weighed from one sack totalled about 200 pounds.[1] Agents resealed the load and sent the cars onward under seal and 24-hour surveillance over a five-day journey.[2] When the cars were unloaded at the Chicago warehouse in early December, investigators arrested seven men and formally seized the drugs.[1][2] The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison plus a $4 million fine.[1]
