Prosecutors: Woman used Buffalo Grove pizzeria as drug front
An Arlington Heights woman who authorities say used a now-shuttered Buffalo Grove pizzeria as a front for drug trafficking was convicted Tuesday of multiple drug charges that could carry a sentence of up to 60 years in prison.
Maria Garza, 43, was convicted of the manufacture and delivery of cocaine, the manufacture and delivery of heroin, methamphetamine trafficking and trafficking of a controlled substance, according to court records.
Her co-defendant, Carmelo Rios, 43, also of Arlington Heights, pleaded guilty to the manufacture and delivery of heroin in February 2015 in exchange for a 13-year prison sentence.
Garza and Rios, who co-owned and operated the former DeLuca's pizzeria, were arrested in December 2011 following a six-month undercover operation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cook County State's Attorney's Narcotics Prosecution Bureau.
According to prosecutors, Garza and Rios imported heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana for distribution in the Chicago area and on the East Coast. Surveillance video showed the defendants arranging for the transportation, delivery and sale of narcotics to their customers, prosecutors said.
During the course of the investigation, DEA agents recovered more than 16 pounds of heroin, more than two pounds of methamphetamine and 5.1 pounds of marijuana, all of which added up to a street value of about $900,000, authorities said.
Garza next appears in court on June 19.