COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Three men were arrested and charged after cops found more than 700 grams of heroin stashed on the West Side, according to court documents.
Lajuan Jackson, 19, of 900 block of South Independence Boulevard, was arrested and charged with possessing more than 400 and less than 900 grams of heroin. He was also charged with manufacturing and delivery of less than 10 grams.
Joseph Bowers, 21, of suburban Mount Prospect, was charged with possessing and manufacturing less than 10 grams of heroin, along with another possession charge.
Jerry J. Trull, 56, of the 2900 block of West Pershing Road, was charged with possession for allegedly buying about $20 worth of heroin.
According to court documents, cops kept an eye on an area in the 3700 block of West Lexington Street in East Garfield Park, where they saw at least three suspected drug transactions.
In one of them, police allegedly saw a man, later identified as Trull, buy drugs from Bowers and leave the scene in an ice truck.
Cops followed Trull onto the Eisenhower Expressway and saw him throw two ziplock baggies out the passenger window and onto the road, according to the documents. Police recovered the baggies, which contained suspected heroin, and arrested Trull along the expressway, according to the documents.
Bowers and Jackson worked together in at least one of the transactions, prosecutors said Sunday. Cops saw Jackson meet up with Bowers and give him suspected drugs that Bowers then stashed in a nearby mailbox, according to the documents.
After watching a third transaction involving Bowers and another man in the area, police broke surveillance and arrested him Saturday night before detaining Jackson, according to court documents.
Cops searched the mailbox and allegedly found three baggies, each containing suspected heroin. They then went a few doors down to a building, where they had seen Jackson earlier.
There, officers saw in plain view a bulky black plastic bag in an open closet, according to the documents.
According to the documents, the officers entered through an open sliding door, got the bag and found that it held 51 bundles of mini ziplock baggies containing suspected heroin.
The baggies had more than 700 grams of heroin with a street value of about $71,000, according to court documents. Cops then arrested Jackson.
Judge James Brown set bail for Bowers at $50,000 and set bail at $100,000 for Jackson. Trull was released.
