AREA DRUG AGENTS SEIZE CANNABIS PLANTS, SUSPECT STILL AT LARGE

Freeport, Ill. - Area drug agents seized a number of cannabis plants
on Friday, shutting down an apparent growing operation in rural Freeport.

A suspect [redacted] is still at
large.

The State Line Area Narcotics Team in conjunction with the Stephenson
County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant at a rural
Freeport home, [redacted] on Friday.

As a result of the search, agents seized 39 cannabis plants, drug
paraphernalia and all the necessary equipment used in an indoor
cannabis growing operation.

[redacted] was renting the small home, and officials allege that he was
running a cannabis growing operation out of the upper loft area of the
house.

A Stephenson County arrest warrant has been issued for [redacted] . He is
wanted on a class 3 felony charge of unauthorized production of
cannabis sativa plants and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bond on the arrest warrant has been set at $10,000.

SLANT officials believe that [redacted] is in the Chicago area, and are
asking that anyone with information of his whereabouts contact SLANT
at (815) 987-7440 or the Illinois State Police at (815) 239-1104.

Officials could not confirm whether Friday's seizure had any
connection to SLANT's March 2 seizure of 160 cannabis plants and more
than 36 pounds of processed cannabis, which resulted in five arrests
in Rockford, Rockton, Ogle County and Argyle, Wis.

"The case is an on-going investigation, and that remains to be seen,"
SLANT Commander John Biffany said.

SLANT is made up of officers from the Freeport, Loves Park, Rockford,
and Monroe, Wis., police departments, the Stephenson County and Green
County, Wis., sheriff's departments and the Illinois State Police