Orland Police Nab 3 Arizona Men In Record Heroin Bust

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park police arrested three Arizona men Saturday in a record-setting drug bust that netted authorities nearly three kilos of heroin.

Police said they received a tip Saturday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m. that a known Arizona drug dealer was in the area. The tip triggered a drug investigation that led to an arranged meeting in the 7100 block of 159th Street.

When police got there, they found a parked pickup truck towing another car with three men in it. The driver, Hector Acosta-Feliz, 28, of Tucson, had a bag of what police suspected was crystal methamphetamine in his hand, authorities said. The backseat passenger, Johnnie Lee, 26, of Tucson, got out of the car, leaving behind a Taurus PT740 .40 caliber handgun on the floor, police said. It was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. Then the front-seat passenger got out. Taurence Lopez, 45, also of Tucson, left a Taurus PT111 9 mm handgun on the floor behind him, police said. That gun was loaded with 12 rounds.

All three men were carrying a small amount of suspected black tar heroin with them, police said.

After officers searched the car, they found another loaded gun, a Glock 27 .40 caliber pistol, under the driver's seat. They also found more drugs, including a plastic bag of what they believe is crystal methamphetamine and a plastic-wrapped package of suspected heroin, according to police. They also found a safe.

Investigators opened the safe Tuesday after obtaining a search warrant and found 2302.5 grams of suspected heroin and 142.5 grams of suspected narcotic pills.

In all, police said, the arrest netted:

• 2,777.1 grams of suspected heroin
• 427.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine
• 142.4 grams of suspected narcotics pills

The heroin alone marks the largest seizure of the drug in the history of the Orland Park police Department, officials said.

The Arizona men are held without bond on a variety of charges, including a class X felony of possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of a weapon by a felon and possession of methamphetamine.