$2 Million Of Cocaine Seized In Traffic Stop

CAROL STREAM, Ill. (STMW) -- A mother of four from Carol Stream and man from Mexico have been charged with drug crimes after $2 million in cocaine they were allegedly delivering from California was found in their car by police in DuPage County, authorities said.

Melissa Zambrano, 29, of the 500 block of East Gunderson Drive, Carol Stream, and Fernando Rivera, 29, were charged Sunday.

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Zambrano and Rivera were stopped by DuPage County sheriff's deputies and Illinois State Police about midnight as the two were exiting from Interstate 55 onto northbound Illinois Route 83, authorities said.

Assistant DuPage County State's Attorney Audrey Anderson said that Zambrano told police that she had been driving the route and transporting the illegal drugs between the Chicago area and California for several months, earning between $4,000 and $12,000 a trip.

Zambrano and Rivera each were charged with cocaine trafficking and delivery of a controlled substance, which carries a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison. DuPage County Judge Michael Wolfe on Monday set bail for both at $1 million cash.

Anderson said that an investigation led officers of the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group to the pair in California, where they were placed under surveillance. After they were stopped in DuPage County, a police canine alerted police to drugs hidden in secret compartments.

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