7 Firearms, Narcotics Found In Aurora House, Man Charged: Police

AURORA, IL — A 40-year-old Aurora man was taken into custody Sept. 1 after police uncovered seven firearms, narcotics and ammunition at a residence in the 500 block of Sherman Avenue, officials said Wednesday.

Aurora Police Special Operations Group investigators served a search warrant at about 8 p.m. that Tuesday as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. Investigators recovered three rifles, four handguns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition. One of the weapons was a privately manufactured Polymer80 firearm without a serial number, police said.

The search also yielded 149 grams of cannabis, 25.4 grams of methamphetamine, 61 grams of THC gummies, digital scales, packaging materials and $2,257 in cash, according to a news release.

Several of the firearms were not securely stored, making them accessible to children living in the residence, police said.

As a result of the investigation, Aurora police took Alberto Diaz-Vargas into custody without incident. He was charged with the following felonies:

• Possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine
• Possession of methamphetamine
• Possession of cannabis with intent to deliver
• Possession of cannabis

Additional firearm-related charges remain pending as of Wednesday, officials said.

"This case demonstrates the important work our Special Operations Group and partner agencies are doing to address illegal narcotics activity in our community," Chief Matt Thomas said in a statement. "The combination of drugs and unsecured firearms in a home with children created an extremely dangerous situation, and this investigation helped prevent that danger from leading to a potentially tragic outcome."

Diaz-Vargas appeared in court Sept. 2 for a detention hearing and was released from custody pending his next court appearance Oct. 7.