(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Stolen merchandise, cash, drugs and exploited migrants who were locked in a box truck were all recovered over Memorial Day weekend after a retail theft ring was busted in suburban Vernon Hills.
Vernon Hills police said 11 arrests were made as part of a multi-agency investigation into a string of thefts at retail stores across the village.
Assistance was given to multiple Venezuelan migrants after they were found in the box truck. Officials said those individuals, who exhibited symptoms of heat exhaustion, were released after they told police they had been locked in the cargo area of a box truck for hours.
A police spokesperson said the migrants were recruited from Chicago for work and transported to Vernon Hills under false pretenses.
Law enforcement also recovered nearly $30,000 in stolen merchandise, thousands in cash, along with fentanyl and ecstasy.
Those who were detained also had active arrest warrants in Illinois, California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, officials said.
Police added that some who were arrested in the operation could have ties with organized crime groups responsible for nearly $500,000 in retail losses.
In all, prosecutors issued 17 felony charges, and all of the arrested individuals are being held in Lake County without the option of bond.
WBBM’s Brandon Ison contributed to this report.
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