2 Men Face Felony Drug Charges Following Ongoing Investigations

PALATINE, IL — Police arrested two men this week on felony drug charges in connection with ongoing investigations.

Carmen Escobar, 38, of the 200 block of Royal Avenue, was charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance after an Tuesday, Aug. 9, traffic stop. He was held on $300,000 bail, and his court date is Sept. 1.

Escobar was pulled over as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to a Palatine police statement. A search of his vehicle uncovered a vacuum-sealed bag containing more than 500 grams of a white powder that tested positive for cocaine, police said.

Police claim the half kilogram of cocaine was going to be distributed in the Northwest suburbs.

Two days later, Mauricio Bravo, 47, of the 1200 block of East Prairie Brook Drive, was charged with nine counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance after police executed a search warrant on his home and found numerous pills and illegal drugs. He is being held on $150,000 bail, and his court date is Sept. 9.

Police searched Bravo's home Thursday, Aug. 11, as part of an ongoing investigation and seized the following controlled substances, which still need to be verified by lab tests:

• more than a kilogram of a substance suspected to be marijuana
• a half gram of a powder suspected to be cocaine
• a gram of dextromethorphan, a cough supressant
• various pills, including oxycodone hydrochloride, amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salt, clonazepam, MDMA and several other substances

Scales, pill capsules and baggies also were found during the search.

Police did not indicate whether the investigations that led to Escobar's and Bravo's arrests were related.

PHOTOS: Carmen Escobar (left) and Mauricio Bravo (Palatine Police Department)

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