September 10, 2007  Chicago, Illionois
Lyons police officer finds 12 kilograms of cocaine during a traffic stop

A Lyons police officer's routine traffic stop turned into a career highlight for him Monday after $6 million worth of cocaine was found in the vehicle.

The Lyons officer, who is assigned to the Cook County Sheriff's Police High Intensity Drug and Traffic Area Unit, said he pulled over a vehicle at I-55 and Pulaski Road in Chicago at about 2 p.m. Monday after the driver failed to use a turn signal, he said.

The undercover officer, who the newspaper is not identifying, said the 30-year-old man gave officers permission to search his car. The officer said K-9 dogs from the Sheriff's department were able to detect a smell alerting officers to what turned out to be 12 kilograms of cocaine in the rear of the vehicle.

Lyons Police Chief Daniel Babich said the drugs were found in a hidden compartment in the vehicle and were covered in plastic and grease. He added that the arrest sends a message to local drug dealers.

"This is just a proactive approach on drug enforcement," Babich said. "(This unit) has been very successful on knocking out some big-time players. This officer is an asset to our department along with other officers in my department because we're a very proactive department in fighting and combating drugs.

Babich said Lyons police is involved with the Sheriff's department because it helps strengthen the community while networking.

"It's something we've been involved with for going on six years. It helps our community as far as with networking with outside agencies," Babich said. "Working with different ... agencies to handle these types of large cases gives us additional manpower. It's a win, win, win for our community and other communities. It's been very successful in knocking out a lot of drug problems."

The arresting officer wouldn't release any information about the arrest because the investigation is ongoing. The drugs were at the Lyons Police Department before being entered into evidence through the Cook County Sheriff's Department.

Source: Colleen McBrien
GateHouse News Service