Romeoville Man Among 2 Charged After 21 Pounds Of Meth Found Hidden in Fire Pit: Indiana State Police

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A Romeoville man is charged with dealing methamphetamine after Indiana State Police troops found 21 pounds of meth hidden in a vehicle where he was a passenger, police said in a news release.

Indiana State Police conducted a traffic stop on a black Ford Escape at 12:05 p.m. on July 31. Police said the vehicle had crossed the solid white fog line near the 254 mile marker on Interstate 65.

The car had an obscured Illinois license plate and pulled over on the 61st Avenue ramp, police said.

The driver, Kennedy Duran Sanchez, 29, of Chicago, and the passenger, Kevin Duran Sanchez, 27, of Romeoville, told police they did not speak English, and communication was facilitated using translation software, according to police.

Both men gave inconsistent travel explanations and exhibited signs of nervous behavior, police said.

An Indiana State Police K9 trained in narcotics detection arrived on the scene and alerted to the presence of an illegal substance, according to police. A search then uncovered a large, cellophane‑wrapped object in the rear cargo area of the car that the occupants claimed was a fire pit belonging to someone else.

Troopers opened the fire pit and discovered 34 cellophane‑wrapped packages consistent with narcotics trafficking, police said. Several damaged packages revealed a crystal‑like substance identified as methamphetamine. The packages weighed a total of 21 pounds and field‑tested positive for methamphetamine, according to police.

Both occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody, advised of their rights in Spanish, and transported to the Lake County Jail, police said. Both are preliminarily charged with dealing methamphetamine, a level 2 felony.

Police said the arrests are part of an ongoing effort across the state to stop drugs being transported through the state.

"Through the efforts of the Indiana State Police and their partners, positive results are occurring through significant seizures and dismantling large-scale drug organizations," police said in a news release.