Driver arrested, 26 pounds of marijuana seized in Elgin
A 32-year-old man was caught Friday with nearly 26 pounds of marijuana in his sport utility vehicle after a traffic stop on Interstate 90 near Elgin, authorities said.
Daniel Cuellar of Donna, Texas, is due in court Wednesday on felony charges of cannabis trafficking.
Kane County sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said a deputy pulled over Cuellar Friday morning as he drove in his 2004 Dodge Durango east on I-90 near Route 31. Gengler said Cuellar was cited for improper lane use and failure to signal while changing lanes.
"(Deputies) smelled an odor of cannabis coming from the vehicle," Gengler said, adding officers seized 11,700 grams of marijuana - or about 25.8 pounds - that was found in two travel bags in the SUV. The estimated street value of the drugs is about $200,000.
No weapons were found in the vehicle, nor any abnormally large amounts of cash.
Cuellar was being held at the Kane County jail on $100,000 bail. He faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted of the most severe charge.