23 arrested in suburban 'Dial-a-Rock' drug bust

A mechanic, a carpenter, a waitress and a salesman were among the nearly two dozen people charged Thursday, as authorities closed in on a drug ring they said has been supplying crack and powder cocaine to Northwest suburban customers for at least 10 years.

Led by Arlington Heights police, who with the Chicago office of the Drug Enforcement Administration have been investigating the drug ring since September 2009, police from Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg conducted a sweep this week that netted six reported drug dealers and 26 reported customers.

Police also executed three search warrants at local residences. They seized 1,500 grams of crack and powder cocaine with a street value of $150,000.

They also confiscated 19 vehicles and $50,000 in cash, authorities said.

Authorities said the cocaine ring handled about 100 cocaine transactions a day for as many as 10 years.

Based in Jalisco, Mexico, the drug trafficking ring operated out of the Northwest suburbs because its leader, Ector Cortez, 40, thought the police presence would be lighter here than in Chicago, said Arlington Heights Cmdr. Kenneth Galinski.

"They thought they were safe here," Galinski said. "Based on what we accomplished, I think we can disagree with that."

The customers arrested in the sweep ranged from their early 20s to mid-50s and lived in Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg.

The arrests involved possession or the purchase of small to medium amounts of cocaine or crack, prosecutors said. These ranged from a quarter of a gram to 1.8 grams, for which customers paid $40 and about $120.

All were charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and received bonds ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Most have no criminal background.

Cortez, of the 2800 block of Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows, was the "kingpin" of the operation said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Hughes.

Cortez moved one-quarter kilo of cocaine, worth about $50,000, every couple of days, said Galinski. He said Cortez, who lives in a modest apartment here, has multiple homes and businesses in Mexico.

Hughes said Cortez is in the U.S. legally and his green card was confiscated upon his arrest. He was charged with unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver, felonies that carry a sentence of 15 to 60 years in prison.

If convicted, Cortez would have to serve at least 75 percent of his sentence before he would be eligible for parole.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kay Hanlon set his bail at $1 million cash, meaning he cannot be released without posting the full amount. The court also granted the prosecution's motion that Cortez disclose the source of any bail money posted for him.

Prosecutors said customers would call Cortez's cell phone to place an order and he would dispatch runners to deliver the drugs. Wiretaps of Cortez's phone identified as many as 6,000 drug calls in 60 days, prosecutors said.

It was a low-key operation, Galinski said, in which runners conducted their sales from rundown cars. If one of his runners was arrested, Cortez used profits from the drug sales to bail them out of jail, Galinski said.

When police confiscated one of the cars, Cortez left it abandoned at an impound lot, Galinski added.

Hughes said Adrian Peregrino-Garcia was Cortez' s"right-hand man" who kept the books for the organization. Peregrino-Garcia was also charged with unlawful criminal drug conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and he also faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted. Hanlon judge set his bond at $1 million, meaning he must pay $100,000 to be released.

Another co-conspirator, Julio Zenteno, 30, of the 1700 block of Palm in Mount Prospect, faces the same charges, authorities said. Hughes described Zenteno as a runner and said officers observed Zenteno meeting with customers 15 times on Tuesday, when most of the arrests occurred.

Hanlon set his bond at $1 million, and he must post 10 percent to be released from custody.

Hanlon set bond at $750,000 for Carlos Ruiz, 20, who Cook County Assistant Public Defender Kathy Ward said has been in the U.S. only two months.

"He is really a small fish in comparison to the other players," said Ward of Ruiz, of the 2100 block of Tonne Road in Arlington Heights. Police recovered 87 grams of cocaine from that location, said Hughes, who told the court that Ruiz has a possession of a controlled substance case pending from March.

Peregrino-Garcia, Zenteno, Ruiz and most of the suspected customers will next appear in court May 5 in Rolling Meadows. Cortez will returns to court May 7

Two other co-conspirators, Antonio Cardenas-Moreno and Jose Morales, were arrested last fall but failed to appear in court, Galinski said.

Warrants were issued for their arrest, and they are believed to be in Mexico, he added.