Drug trafficking charge filed against Peoria man arrested for pot possession at Twin-Cities airport

Posted on October 14, 2020
Emanuel Wells (Photo courtesy: Heart of Illinois ABC)

By Heart of Illinois ABC

BLOOMINGTON – A Peoria man remained jailed Tuesday night in McLean County after prosecutors said police found almost 26 pounds of marijuana in his luggage at Central Illinois Regional Airport.

Prosecutors said Emanuel Wells, 30, had just arrived at the Bloomington airport Sunday from California after a stop in Chicago.

In the suitcase, police found pot ready for sale, wrapped in five vacuumed sealed bags, prosecutors said.

The drug’s estimated street value is $75,000 to $200,000, depending on the quality of the marijuana, said Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Horve, who leads McLean County’s drug prosecutions.

The state’s attorney’s office filed three felony charges against Wells, including marijuana trafficking, which carries a mandatory prison sentence of up to 60 years in prison.

Wells has to come up with $40,035 to be released from jail, and he must prove the bond money did not come from illegal sources.

Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected]. 

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