Crypto trader had 16 pounds of pot-infused gummies in his car during traffic stop, prosecutors say

Chicago — A Lakeview man had 16 pounds of cannabis-infused gummies in his car during a traffic stop on the North Side, prosecutors said. And Chicago police say they found nearly 10 pounds of marijuana in his back seat.

Chicago police pulled Frank Vargas over for a traffic violation in the 5400 block of North Sheridan shortly before 9 p.m. Monday and “smelled fresh, unsmoked cannabis” as they spoke with him, prosecutors said. The cops also saw bags of pot in a cardboard box in Vargas’ backseat and small baggies of suspected cannabis on his center console, according to the allegations.

Officers searched Vargas’ vehicle and allegedly found eight large, clear bags containing 9.9 pounds of suspected cannabis inside the cardboard box. They also found 16 pounds of cannabis-infused gummies divided between two large bags, according to the allegations. The contraband has a total street value of $49,550, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said he was convicted of manufacture-delivery of a controlled substance in Cole County in 2014.

Vargas, according to his private defense attorney, is a self-employed crypto trader with a master’s degree in communications.

Judge Kelly McCarthy ordered Vargas to pay a $6,500 bail deposit to get out of jail. He is charged with manufacture-delivery of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis and possessing more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.

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