Traffic stop nets $1.5M in cocaine along I-90 in Elgin

A traffic stop along Interstate 90 near Elgin Tuesday netted 35 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $1.5 million on the street, authorities said.

Rogaciano P. Beruete, 57, of Fayetteville, Texas, faces felony charges of controlled substance trafficking, possession of more than 900 grams of cocaine and manufacture/delivery of more than 900 grams of cocaine, according to police and court records.

Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Bill Backus, who heads the North Central Narcotics Task Force, said Beruete was headed east on I-90 when he was pulled over around noon by a uniformed state trooper near Route 31 for speeding and improper lane use.

Backus said a second trooper arrived at the scene and conducted a search by walking his police dog around the car. A search turned up a package of cocaine, and the car was towed to a state facility off Interstate 90 and Route 20 in Marengo where authorities found 28 packages of cocaine weighing 35,117 grams in a hidden compartment in the floor of the vehicle, Backus said.

“In my professional opinion, he was just a transporter,” Backus said. “It’s was definitely a sizable seizure. There’s no doubt about that.”

Beruete is being held at the Kane County jail on $9 million bail, meaning he must post $900,000 in order to be free while the charges are pending. He is due in court on Wednesday.