3 from Minnesota charged in I-90 heroin bust
Three Minnesota residents were charged with possessing nearly a pound of heroin, while armed and driving on I-90 near Huntley, according to authorities and court records.
The driver, Derek J. Paddy, 19, of Red Lake, and passengers Leo W. Cook, 31, and Jessica D. Johnson, 31, have been charged with manufacture and delivery of up to 400 grams of heroin and armed violence, both felonies. Cook and Johnson are from Redby, a town of about 1,300 people in northwestern Minnesota.
According to the Kane County sheriff's department, Paddy's 2007 Chevrolet Impala was pulled over for an equipment violation at about 1 p.m. Wednesday while headed west on I-90 near Route 47 in Hampshire Township. Deputies brought in a drug-sniffing dog, which signaled the presence of drugs inside the car, authorities said.
Deputies seized $9,000, about 14 ounces of heroin, a .45-caliber handgun and 9 mm handgun. The heroin has an estimated street value of $80,000, authorities said.
Bail for each of the three was set Friday at $800,000, meaning each must post $80,000 and prove it came from legitimate sources to be released from the Kane County jail while the charges are pending.
The charges carry a prison term ranging from six to 30 years if convicted without the possibility of probation.
Paddy is next due in court on Wednesday. Court dates for Cook and Johnson are Thursday and Friday, respectively.