K-9 Duke finds cocaine during traffic stop in Waukegan

WAUKEGAN – A Texas man has been charged with drug charges after a Lake County Sheriff’s K-9 unit detected cocaine during a traffic stop in Waukegan, police said.

About 1:15 p.m. June 24, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Greenwood Avenue at the Amstutz Expressway in Waukegan for a traffic violation, according to news release. During the stop, Lake County Sheriff’s K-9 Duke conducted a free-air sniff around the vehicle and indicated there was contraband inside the vehicle.

Sheriff’s deputies conducted a search of the vehicle based on Duke’s indication. A bag was located on the floor ahead of the front passenger seat containing more than 2 kilograms of cocaine, according to the release.

The front-seat passenger of the vehicle, Jorge Villareal-Flores, 47, of the 100 block of Eastridge Drive in Springtown, Texas, was arrested.

Villareal-Flores was charged with manufacturing/delivery of cocaine, which is a Class X felony, and possession of cocaine, which is a Class 1 felony.

“I am very proud of K-9 Duke and his handler, Deputy [Dwight] Arrowood, for their efforts on this traffic stop,” Sheriff John Idleburg said in the release. “Our K-9 teams and the entire sheriff’s office will continue working tirelessly to seize dangerous drugs and weapons while arresting those who possess them to keep our communities safe.”

Villareal-Flores is being held in the Lake County Jail on $1 million bond. He is due in court July 19.