Ill. State Police $40M Worth of Cocaine During Tractor-Trailer Inspection

Dec. 2, 2024

Nearly 1,200 pounds of cocaine was discovered in packages inside a tractor-trailer during an inspection by an Illinois State Police trooper in Henry County.

By Sylvan Lebrun

Source Chicago Tribune

Nearly 1,200 pounds of cocaine worth $40 million was seized Friday by Illinois State Police during an inspection of a tractor-trailer along Interstate 80 in Henry County.

CHICAGO — Illinois State Police confiscated more than $40 million worth of cocaine during an inspection of a semi-truck driving on the interstate in western Illinois, authorities announced Saturday.

Two Canadian men, Vanshpreet Singh, 27, and Manpreet Singh, 36, both of Ontario, were arrested and charged with multiple felonies for cocaine possession, cocaine possession with intent to deliver and cocaine trafficking, according to state police.

On Friday afternoon, an Illinois State Police trooper conducted an inspection of a Volvo semi-truck driving eastbound on Interstate 80 and discovered “numerous indicators of criminal activity,” police said Saturday.

During the ensuing search, police then found packages containing 1,146 pounds of cocaine with an approximate street value of more than $40 million, according to state police.

Both men were then arrested by the Illinois State Police Blackhawk Area Task Force and transported to the Henry County Jail, where they await a pre-trial detention hearing.

“ISP’s coordinated focus on trafficking is helping keep dangerous drugs out of our communities,” wrote state police director Brendan F. Kelly in the Saturday news release. “From commercial motor vehicle inspections to daily patrol to targeted anti-violence and trafficking details, ISP is making communities safer.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago field division provided “valuable assistance” in the investigation, according to police.

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