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Naperville traffic stop yields $1 million meth bust

Prosecutors say Jesus Rubio did little to divert attention from himself as he drove through Naperville, texting and tailgating in a truck with a cracked windshield.

The trifecta of traffic violations added up to the largest methamphetamine bust on record in DuPage County, authorities said Wednesday.

Rubio, 25, and his 20-year-old passenger, Edgardo Rodriguez-Sanchez, both of Des Moines, Ia., were arrested Tuesday after a K-9 officer stopped them at Route 59 and Meridian Road.

Assistant State’s Attorney Audrey Anderson said a drug-sniffing dog alerted police to the bed of the truck. There, they found 19 one-pound bundles of methamphetamine tucked away under a pile of roofing shingles.

The suspects told police they came from Iowa to sell the drugs to an Illinois man for $18,000 a pound. Prosecutors said the men expected to nearly double their money because they had agreed to pay their supplier $9,500 a pound. The estimated street value of the drugs is about $1 million.

Both defendants identified themselves in bond court Wednesday as professional roofers. They each were charged with drug possession with intent to deliver and methamphetamine trafficking.

“This is by far the largest methamphetamine bust we have ever had in DuPage County,” State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said. “While we don’t see a lot of methamphetamine, it is an extremely dangerous drug that we are constantly on the lookout for, as evidenced by these charges.”

Judge Elizabeth Sexton set full cash bonds of $1 million for each suspect. If the men do post bond, they must prove the money does not come from ill-gotten gains.

Both men could face up to 120 years in prison if convicted. Their next court date is Nov. 5 in front of Judge George Bakalis.

Berlin credited Naperville police for their “outstanding work” on the case.

“Thanks to their efforts, a routine traffic stop resulted in the removal of nearly $1 million worth of dangerous drugs from our streets,” he said.

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