Revere Man Caught With 61 Pounds of Pot On Train: COPS

CHICAGO, IL -- A Revere, Mass. man acting “suspiciously” on an Amtrak train was arrested in Chicago's Union Station after authorities found him carrying 61 pounds of cannabis, prosecutors said. Luis Rodriguez, 34, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a felony charge of possession of cannabis. The prosecutor said charges may be upgraded to Class X felonies for possession with intent to deliver and cannabis trafficking. This is Rodriguez’s first arrest.

According to the charges, Rodriguez paid cash for a one-way ticket on a sleeper car from Portland, Ore. to Albany, NY, on Amtrak. Rodriguez was wearing camouflage and said to be acting suspiciously on the train. An Amtrak agent alerted police when the train pulled into Chicago’s Union Station.

Around 3:45 p.m. Nov. 8, Rodriguez was observed walking through the train station carrying a camouflage backpack and pulling two roller suitcases, the prosecutor said. When Illinois State Police asked if they could search his luggage, Rodriguez allegedly replied, “go ahead, I’m pretty much screwed.”

A police K9 alerted to the possible presence of contraband in Rodriguez’s luggage. State troopers said they found seven plastic vacuum-sealed bags of suspect cannabis inside the backpack, and additional vacuum-sealed bags of in the suitcases, totaling 52 bags. The contents of the bags reportedly field-tested positive for cannabis. The suspected cannabis weighed in at 61 pounds or 27,759 grams, the prosecutor said. Rodriguez allegedly admitted to purchasing the cannabis in Portland, Ore.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Rodriguez is a veteran of the U.S. Force and served overseas. Rodriguez owns an art business which he says employs six people. He said Rodriguez claims to have purchased a round-trip Amtrak ticket in Portland and did not pay cash.

The prosecutor said Rodriguez has no prior arrests. If given bail, the prosecutor asked for a source of funds.

“This is not a small amount of marijuana,” Felice said. “No bail, he’s going to be detained.”

If convicted, Rodriguez faces 6 to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, or 12 to 30 years if the charges are upgraded to Class X felonies, the prosecutor said. Rodriguez is due back in court Dec. 6 in Bridgeview, IL.