Naperville Man Charged In Drug Trafficking Probe

Caption: Sergio Vergara-Cardenas, 29, of Naperville, was charged with two Super Class X felony counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

A DuPage County judge took the rare step of setting a full cash bail of $1.7 million for a Naperville man suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Sergio Vergara-Cardenas, 29, of the 1800 block of Michigan Avenue in Naperville, was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Super Class X felony, the DuPage County State’s Attorney announced.

Vergara-Cardenas was put under surveillance as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.

Law enforcement agents observed Vergara-Cardenas leaving his Naperville apartment on Wednesday and tailed him to Route 59, where he was pulled over for failing to use his turn signal, prosecutors said.

When agents approached his vehicle, Vergara-Cardenas was allegedly attempting to stash what turned out to be bundles of money from a shoebox in the back seat of the car into the back of the front passenger’s seat.

The total amount of money recovered from Vergara-Cardenas’ vehicle was $250,000, court records said.

Prosecutors said Vergara-Cardenas gave agents permission to search his residence, where agent discovered 17 kilos of cocaine and a kilo of heroin hidden in the apartment. The estimated street value of the drugs is $1.7 million.

“While we have made progress in ridding our streets of dangerous narcotics, this case unfortunately confirms that drugs are still in our communities in significant amounts,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. “This case also demonstrates the collaborative efforts of law enforcement to aggressively go after those individuals who attempt to enrich their lives at the expense of others.”

The Naperville man appeared before Judge Richard Russo on Thursday. Should Vergara-Cardenas be able to post the full cash bond of $1.7 million, the judge ordered a hearing to verify that any funds used for bond are not from illegal activities.

Vergara-Cardenas faces a penalty of 15 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, for which he would be required to serve 75 percent of his sentence, if convicted.

He is due back in court on March 2 in front of Judge Brian Telander.