20-year sentence in largest heroin bust in Kane history
A Texas woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to possession of more than seven kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of $2.1 million — the largest heroin bust in Kane County history.
Claudia Chagoya, 42, of El Paso, had been held in the Kane County jail since her arrest on April 25, after she failed to signal when exiting Interstate 90 at Route 25 and authorities found heroin hidden around her pickup truck’s drive shaft.
Chagoya pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a felony that carried a top sentence of 30 years in prison.
Chagoya must serve 85 percent of her sentence, or about 17 years, and she will get credit for about 7½ months served so far.
“This case is proof that there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop,” said Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon, who credited Kane County Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Hain for making the arrest.
According to authorities, Hain spotted Chagoya’s pickup truck fail to signal at an exit and later learned she did not have a valid driver’s license.
Hain called Texas authorities, who told him Chagoya’s vehicle had crossed into Mexico on April 18 and came back on April 21. He also noticed clumps of mud on the bolts that held the drive shaft to the vehicle, but no mud anywhere else, authorities said.
After the truck was towed, authorities found the heroin. Chagoya later admitted to police that she was paid $1,000 up front to drive the heroin from El Paso to the Chicago area and was to drop off the truck at a hotel.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kelly Orland prosecuted the case.