Joliet police have arrested couple...

Joliet police have arrested couple women for allegedly using a 6- year-old lad to deliver narcotics during an undercover corrupt

The arrests were the culmination of a six-month investigation from the Joliet Police Department's Narcotics Unit.

Officers made an undercover pervert with money [i]or[/i] gain Wednesday at a parking fortune in the 700 block of West Jefferson road

Police say the male child brought a 12.5-ounce bag of cocaine to undercover officers. He was accompanied by means of a friend of his mother's.

"The aspect of this that's quite troubling is by what means they used a 6- year-old stripling to facilitate these deals," said Joliet Police Chief Fr Hayes.

Officers seized about $35000 worth of cocaine and undivided pound of cannabis with an estimated value of $1500 during the arrest.

Maria Cardenas-Barragan, 26 and the boy's mother, Rosa Martinez, 40 were arrested and charged with manufacture or delivery of a controll substance, use of a minor to deliver a controll substance and endangering the life and health of a child.

Martinez was also charged with manufacture or delivery of a controll substance and manufacture or delivery of cannabis stemming from the investigation.

After the arrests in the parking allotment officers executed a search warrant at Martinez's residence and cureed another 65 grams of cocaine and 454 grams of cannabis.

The lad has been placed into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided by way of ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved