Two arrested following $5 million pot bust

Two Florida men are being held on $50,000 bond after being caught in Elk Grove Township with more than 1,000 pounds of cannabis in a carrot truck Monday.

Abrahan Garcia-Acosta, 44, of Loxahatchee, and Diego Diaz-Perez, 49, of West Palm Beach, have been charged with felony possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, officials from the Cook County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The Cook County Sheriff's Police South Narcotics Unit began tracking Garcia-Acosta and Diaz-Perez after receiving a tip the two were delivering cannabis, officials said.

Police witnessed them at two different hotels in Elk Grove Village, before climbing into a white semitrailer truck with Florida registration parked in a motel parking lot near Mount Prospect.

The truck was pulled over Monday after Garcia-Acosta committed a traffic violation, officials said. Garcia-Acosta and Diaz-Perez gave conflicting stories about the contents of the vehicle.

During the questioning, Garcia-Acosta gave police consent to search the trailer, officials said, prompting police to call in K-9 units from Elk Grove Village police.

After a search of the truck, sheriff's police discovered 80 large plastic-wrapped bundles containing cannabis hidden in a load of carrots. Officers removed 1,173 pounds of cannabis from the truck, with an estimated street value of approximately $5,325,000, officials said.

Garcia-Acosta and Diaz-Perez next court date is April 8th, officials said.