Cops find 84 pounds of pot near Elgin, driver charged

A routine traffic stop on Interstate 90 near Elgin Tuesday afternoon resulted in the seizure of about 84 pounds of cannabis, according to police.

A Kane County sheriff's deputy spotted a Chevrolet pickup truck speeding and following another vehicle too closely eastbound on I-90 near the Randall Road overpass, police said.

During the traffic stop at about 12:40 p.m., the deputy requested a police dog to the scene because he thought the driver might have been involved with drug trafficking, according to police.

Police found 84 pounds of high grade cannabis hidden inside two water heaters in the bed of the pickup truck, which has an estimated wholesale value of more than $250,000, according to authorities.

The driver, a 62-year-old man from Kent, Wash., was the only occupant of the vehicle and taken into custody, according to police.

On Tuesday, a judge set Brian Ballestrasse's bail at $1.1 million on charges of possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver, cannabis trafficking and possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.

He is being held at the Kane County jail.

Police estimated the value of the drug at about $1 million if broken down to street level sales.