Two arrested in heroin bust in Antioch

Two Chicago men are in custody after Antioch police officers found a bag with more than an ounce of heroin in their car Wednesday night.

Christopher B. Reese, 23, of 5220 S. Sangamon St., and Zachary S. Moore, 17, of 5443 S. May St., were arrested in the parking lot of the Joanna Court apartment complex after neighbors reported suspicious activity. The apartments are on the north side of downtown in the 600 block of Joanna Court.

The estimated street value of the drug is more than $10,000 officials said.

Police said they noticed Reese and Moore driving into the parking lot. The men got out of their car and walked toward another car parked nearby. When officers approached them, Reese and Sangamon attempted to walk out of the parking lot. Officers stopped them for questioning.

After further investigation, officers called for the K-9 unit. The dog sniffed out the drugs that were stashed under the seat of the car, police said.

"This is one of the biggest heroin busts in a long time," said Antioch police Cmdr. Jim Ruth.

Ruth said police have been called to the complex "many times" in recent months for domestic disturbances and other crimes.

The men were each charged with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Reese and Moore were scheduled to appear in bond court on Thursday.

Authorities have seen a significant spike in heroin use across the suburbs in recent years.

Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said six people died from heroin overdoses last December. He called the trend "unusual and concerning." Keller attributed "about 20" deaths to heroin overdoses since December.

Keller said the Department of Justice recently put out a warning that the purity of heroin in the Chicago area had increased, a trend going back to 2007 and beyond.