Buffalo Grove pizzeria owners dealt heroin, meth and pot, cops say
BY JAMES SCALZITTI Staff Reporter jscalzitti@suntimes.com December 9, 2011 2:02PM
Maria Garza, 37, is the owner of a Buffalo Grove pizza restaurant and is accused of drug-trafficking. | Photo courtesy U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
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Updated: January 11, 2012 8:08AM
The owners of a northwest suburban pizzeria were allegedly delivering more than pepperoni and sausage pies, they were trafficking large quantities of heroin, meth and marijuana.
Maria Garza, 37, and Carmelo Rios, 35, both of Arlington Heights, owners of DeLuca’s Pizzeria in Buffalo Grove, have been charged with being part of a narcotics trafficking operation responsible for importing kilogram quantities of heroin and other drugs, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said.
Following a joint, six-month county-federal undercover investigation, Garza, Rios and four additional defendants, including two from Chicago. were arrested and charged with drug conspiracy, a release from the state’s attorney’s office said. Two additional defendants are being sought.
Garza and Rios, described as domestic partners, opened DeLuca’s a pizzeria on Aug. 1. But according to prosecutors, they were importers of kilo quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, arranging shipments from Mexican sources to be distributed in the Chicago area and on the East Coast. Surveillance conducted during the operation captured them arranging the delivery, sale and transport of narcotics to customers.
During the course of the investigation, federal DEA agents recovered about 7.5 kilograms of heroin, 1 kilogram of meth and 5.1 pounds of marijuana, with a total street value of $900,000, the release said.
Search warrants were executed Thursday at their Arlington Heights home and at DeLuca’s, the release said.
Also charged were: Victor Zaragoza, 55, of Chicago; Jorge Alberto-Gonzalez, 30, of Chicago; Alexander Colon-Ortiz, 37, of Philadelphia; and Fredy Arroyo-Ortuna, 32, of Placentia, Calif. Warrants have been issued for two additional defendants.
At a court hearing Friday in Chicago, bonds were set at $1 million for Garza, $850,000 for Zaragoza, and $700,000 for Alberto-Gonzalez, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Rios and Colon-Ortiz have been in custody since Nov. 21 when investigators learned they would be making a delivery of heroin and marijuana and stopped their vehicle. Arroyo-Ortuna is in custody in California pending extradition to Chicago.
According to the restaurant’s website, DeLuca’s features pizzas such as “The Godfather.” An online magazine story in November said Garza and Rios were domestic partners and Garza -- who had not run a pizzeria before -- previously lived in Cicero.
All the defendants except Arroyo-Ortuna and Zaragoza are expected to appear for preliminary hearings on Monday, the release said.
Jack Riley, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Chicago office, said Garza and Rios “attempted to legitimize themselves as business owners to cover up the alleged distribution of devastating illegal drugs.”
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