A McLean County Judge has sentenced a man to 75 years in prison for hauling 234 pounds of cocaine through McLean County, according to state’s attorney Erika Reynolds.
Jobanpreet Singh was convicted in March following his arrest in April of last year.
An Illinois State Police K-9 dog detected the presence of drugs inside a refrigerator truck following a traffic stop. Authorities said officers found four large black garbage bags containing a substance that tested positive for cocaine.
The drugs had a street value of $10.6 million. The 234 pounds was a near-record haul. In 2019, authorities seized 110 pounds of cocaine during a stop north of Bloomington-Normal, and at that time prosecutors said the only two bigger ones were in 2006 and in 2009 with 238 pounds of cocaine seized in the latter case.
Singh told authorities he did not know about the drugs in the trailer. He claimed he had picked up two loads of produce and did not see the garbage bags when he previously checked the trailer, Reynolds said.
Authorities said a search of Singh’s cell phone included vague communication about hauling loads across the country for $5,400. Reynolds said the communications suggest that Singh was a drug mule.
