1 charged after Wheeling police intercept 1,000 pounds of pot

The Wheeling Police Department said it made its largest cannabis bust in nearly 30 years Wednesday when a California man was charged after receiving about 1,000 pounds of the illegal drug at a local freight yard.

Steven Snyder, 54, of Inglewood, Calif., has been charged with drug trafficking; possession of cannabis, more than 5,000 grams; and delivery of cannabis.

The Wheeling Police Special Operations Unit received a tip about suspicious packages arriving at a freight yard on the 1000 block of Chaddick Drive and took Snyder into custody when he arrived to claim the packages, police said.

“Our tactical unit feels good that we've removed these drugs from our community,” said Wheeling Deputy Police Chief John Teevans. Teevans said it is the largest drug bust he's seen in Wheeling in the 27 years he's been with the department.

Canine units from Wheeling and Buffalo Grove assisted in the arrest and indicated that there was an illegal substance in the packages, which had been shipped from Texas to Illinois, Teevans said.

The cannabis was wrapped in 45 sealed bricks and had a potential street value of between $6 million and $8 million, officials said.

With the seizure of such a large amount of drugs, Wheeling police have alerted federal authorities, who are continuing to investigate where the cannabis was coming from and where it was going, Teevans said.

Snyder did have a prior arrest record, but Teevans said he wasn't sure if it was for drug-related charges. His bail was set at $250,000. His next court date will be at the Rolling Meadows courthouse Oct. 6.