Two arrested in Elgin after accepting 7.5-pound pot package in mail

Two men were arrested in Elgin this week after postal authorities flagged a suspicious package containing 7.5 pounds of marijuana and waited for it to be delivered.

Carzell Martin IV, 18, of the 400 block of Addison Street, Elgin, and George K. Owens, 24, of the 0-99 block of North Sixth Avenue, Des Plaines, each face three felony drug charges, the most serious of which is cannabis trafficking of 2,500 to 5,000 grams, according to Kane County court records and the sheriff's department.

Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler said deputies executed a search warrant at about 11:45 a.m. Thursday at a residence on the 400 block of Addison Street in Elgin.

The warrant was obtained after U.S. Postal Inspectors intercepted a package containing marijuana that was to be delivered there, Gengler said.

The package was delivered and a person, later identified as Martin, accepted it, Gengler said. Shortly after that, a vehicle pulled up and a man went inside. Deputies entered the home with the warrant and arrested Martin and the man, later identified as Owens, Gengler said.

Authorities seized 3,385 grams, equivalent to about 7.5 pounds, of marijuana that were in the package, a street value of about $50,000, Gengler said.

Martin is being held at the Kane County on $75,000 bail, meaning he must post $7,500 to be released before his next court appearance on Feb. 14. Owens posted $10,000 of his $100,000 bail to be released and is due in court on Feb. 15, records show.

If convicted of the most severe charge, each faces four to 15 years in prison, but probation is an option.