Lake County gang task force seizes more than $761,000 in drugs in 2017

The Lake County Sheriff's Gang Task Force pulled more than $761,000 in drugs - plus guns - from the streets during a "successful" 2017, officials said.

Authorities said in a news release gang task force officers arrested more than 150 people while investigating 200 criminal cases in 2017. The cases resulted in the seizure of 18 guns, 57 pounds of marijuana, 1,540 grams of cocaine, 189 grams of crack cocaine, 41.5 grams of heroin, and 3,008 prescription pills.

Authorities said they do not have a street value for the guns seized.

"Drug dealers don't care about jurisdictional boundaries and are present in every Lake County community," Sheriff Mark Curran said. "I'm extremely proud of our unit seizing over $750,000.00 worth of illegal drugs and taking 18 illegally possessed firearms out of the hands of criminals."

The task force was created in 2015 to combat and prevent criminal gang activity in the county and to help enforce laws on narcotics, human trafficking, gun trafficking and money laundering.

Sheriff's officers work alongside agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; Homeland Security; and the Lake County state's attorney's office in the task force. Officers from police departments in Grayslake, Lake Villa, Mundelein and Wauconda also are members of the gang task force.

Aside from enforcement, task force members deliver presentations to students, teachers, parents, professionals, community leaders and groups to provide education on indicators of drug and gang activity.