Grenades, machine guns recovered in Elgin; Addison man charged

Machine guns and hand grenades were recovered last week from an Elgin storage unit rented by an Addison man.

Elgin police assisted members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security investigations arm in executing a search warrant about 9 p.m. Friday at a storage unit at 665 Big Timber Road, a news release stated.

The Kane County sheriff's bomb squad was summoned to secure the grenades. The renter of the storage unit, 31-year-old Juan Mexicano of Addison, later was charged with five counts of possession of weapons/machine guns. Mexicano appeared in Kane County bond court Tuesday morning where his bail was set at $1 million.

Elgin police Cmdr. Colin Fleury said the search warrant was part of a larger investigation that led to the storage unit, declining to give more details about the investigation.

"We don't know what his purpose was, or what he planned to use these weapons," he said. "We are still trying to figure that out."

Several departments in the task force assisted, including those of Addison, Chicago, Hoffman Estates, New Lenox, Olympia Fields, Streamwood, Lombard, DuPage County and Will County.

"The investigative effort and teamwork displayed in this case is another example of the great partnerships we strive to build with our local and federal agencies," said Lt. Adam Schuessler, of Elgin's special investigations division. "The amount of work invested by all involved culminated in extremely dangerous weapons being seized and prevented their possible use in our communities."