Man tied to ‘one of the largest fentanyl busts’ in McHenry County pleads not guilty

A man accused of possessing more than 900 grams of fentanyl found in a truck in Cary last month pleaded not guilty to all charges Friday.

Joaquin Montano-Martinez, 28, of Melrose Park, held in McHenry County jail on $500,000 bond, is charged with two counts of possessing with the intent to deliver 900-plus grams of fentanyl, a class X felony, as well as possession with the intent to deliver more than 200 grams or more of any substance containing fentanyl, according to the indictment.

If convicted on the more serious class X felony, he could face between 15 and 60 years in prison, according to the indictment.

This is one of the largest fentanyl busts ever in McHenry County.

—  McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office

On Feb. 24, Montano-Martinez was the passenger in a truck, driven by Patricio Rosales-Diaz, 43, of Palatine, traveling westbound on Route 14. During a traffic stop police found about 2 kilograms of fentanyl, with a potential street value of about $200,000, according to court documents.

It was “one of the largest fentanyl busts ever in McHenry County,” the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The wholesale cost of a kilogram of fentanyl is about $25,000, prosecutors said in court documents. When broken down, fentanyl sells for about $100 per gram in McHenry County, prosecutors said, noting that fentanyl is typically mixed with other substances to increase the profits.

Rosales-Diaz, a permanent resident of Mexico, is being held in the county jail on $1 million bond and faces the same charges as Montano-Martinez. He is due in court April 12.

Montano-Martinez is due back in court May 4.

Each must post 10% of their bonds to be released from the county jail and they must prove any funds posted come from legitimate, non-illegal sources, court records show.