Bolingbrook Man Busted on Drug Charges by Feds

A 26-year-old Bolingbrook man is facing federal drug charges for his part in drug ring that allegedly transported millions of dollars in drug proceeds between Chicago and Mexico, Drug Enforcement Administration officials said on Wednesday.

Julio Morales-Soto, of Bolingbrook, was one of 20 defendants arrested in the federal investigation. According to a U.S. Department of Justice release, the investigation resulted in seizures of more than $12.4 million in cash and approximately 250 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago-area.

Five of the 20 defendants were said to have been members of a Chicago-based cell of the Zetas Mexican drug cartel, which has been responsible for transporting millions of dollars in drug proceeds between Chicago and Mexico. 

It was not known if Morales-Soto was one of those five.

Federal agencies, according to the release, executed simultaneous arrests on Wednesday, including one at Morales-Soto's home in . Twelve of the 20 defendants were arrested in the Chicago-area and a 13th in Laredo, TX. Five remain fugitives, another was hospitalized while one was already in federal prison, the release said.

All 20 Chicago defendants, the release said, were charged with various narcotics offenses, including conspiracy to possess and distribute quantities of cocaine and using a telephone to facilitate narcotics trafficking. If convicted, 12 defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine, while the remaining eight defendants face a mandatory minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

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