Crime & Safety

Drug Cartel Planned to Smuggle Cocaine into Bolingbrook Airport: DEA

The operation was planned for the same weekend as the 12th annual Cavalcade of Planes at the Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook, according to reports.

Last spring, leaders of a drug trafficking organization offered a pilot $40,000 to fly 26 kilos of cocaine into Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook, according to the Chicago Tribune

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The operation was planned for the same weekend in June as the 13th annual Cavalcade of Planes

That pilot turned out to be a Drug Enforcement Administration informant, and two men were arrested at Clow International Airpot. They agreed to cooperate with authorities. 

Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There's a growing use of smaller airports for regional drug rings, the Trib reported

"Really we're beginning to see that more and more domestically, said Jack Riley, the Drug Enforcement Administration's special agent in charge of its Chicago division. "Of course, the Mexican organizations will move it across the border virtually any way possible. But the regional organizations are moving dope and money into smaller airports where there's really less law enforcement and most of them don't even file a flight plan. It's very effective."


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