Aurora Man Found Guilty Of Possessing AK-47, Sprite Mixed With Controlled Substance: Mosser

AURORA, IL — A jury found an Aurora man guilty of possessing an AK-47 pistol and methorphan during a 2025 traffic stop on Interstate 88, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said.

Tyree K. Pugh-Cox, 24, was found guilty of armed violence with a semiautomatic weapon, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

On the afternoon of March 28, 2025, a Kane County sheriff's sergeant was stationed on I-88 near Route 47 when he saw a car following another too closely before "hastily cross[ing]" the striped median to the exit ramp, officials said. Pulling over the driver, identified as Pugh-Cox, on Finley Road, the sergeant saw the two occupants "making furtive movements," according to a news release.

"Through the rear windshield, he saw Pugh-Cox pass a rifle-style firearm to Marquese Reed, who was in the back seat," the release reads.

Both occupants compiled with orders to exit the car, and they were detained. Deputies found a loaded Century Arms DRACO AK-47 pistol hidden in a backpack on the rear floor of the vehicle. In the driver door cupholder, officers found a bottle of Sprite "mixed with a medical-smelling substance" that later tested positive for methorphan, officials said.

Neither Pugh-Cox nor Reed had valid Firearm Owners Identification cards or Concealed Carry Licenses. Both were previously convicted of felony expenses, according to prosecutors.

Pugh-Cox's charges come with a minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment. Pugh-Cox remains in custody at the Kane County jail awaiting his next court date Nov. 19.