Man Charged After Police Find 75 Pounds Of Pot In Belmont Gardens

CHICAGO, IL — A man has been charged after around 75 pounds of marijuana was uncovered on Chicago's Northwest Side, police said. The marijuana was found on Saturday in a building the man was renting in Belmont Gardens, according to police. At 2:52 a.m., officers responded to a report of a burglary in the 4400 block of West Altgeld, police said.

They found a man in the back of the building with a semi-automatic pistol nearby, according to police. The officers noticed a basement door with signs of forced entry, and once inside, found bins with around 34,000 grams of marijuana and 120 grams of cannabis oil, police said.

Khaled El Helo, 40, of the Avondale neighborhood, was charged with two felony counts of manufacture or delivery of over 5,000 grams of marijuana, police said. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of violating the state's concealed carry act.

El Helo was scheduled to appear in bond court on Sunday, police said.

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