Nineteen people have been charged in a wide-ranging Lake County cocaine ring bust that authorities said at times operated out of two well-known pizza parlors and used pizza delivery vehicles to distribute the drugs.Authorities said that among those charged with drug conspiracy in the sweep are brothers Elias, Jack and Kostatino “Gus” Papandreou, who police said own and operate Jack’s Pizza and Burgers restaurants in Waukegan and Grayslake and have had prior convictions on drug-related charged.
“This criminal element has long been a thorn in the side of the Waukegan Police Department,” Police Chief Daniel Greathouse said in a press release, adding that his department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and county prosecutors targeted “mid- to upper-level drug dealers who have flaunted their illicit activities for years.”
Police said they “were able to infiltrate this guarded crew” and that, during the operation, almost 5 pounds of cocaine, along with smaller amounts of Vicodin and Ecstasy, were distributed throughout Lake County with a total street value of about $160,000.
The Papandreou brothers –- Elias, 27, and Kostatino, 34, both of Wadsworth, and Jack, 33, who officials said was already in federal custody on other charges –- each were indicted on a drug conspiracy charge, as were 16 other people, most from Lake County, police said. The 19 people indicted have had their bails set at $500,000 each, authorities said.
All of the 19 people charged were in some way related to the drug ring –- either by selling, delivering or using the drugs, Waukegan Police Commander Gabriel Guzman said.
Waukegan police said that in some cases, “the restaurants and delivery vehicles were utilized to deliver more than pizza.”
Those in the know could call one of the restaurants and order a delivery of pizza and drugs, Guzman said.
Both restaurants remain open and are being run by the brothers’ parents and other employees, Guzman said.
David Flores, who is married to Martha Papandreou, the sister of Elias, Jack and Kostatino, said he believes the charges against his brothers-in-law amount to little more than a “personal vendetta” by the Waukegan police.
“The allegations of selling drugs out of the restaurant are incorrect,” Flores said. “My father-in-law would kill these kids. He would be like, ‘You are not going to ruin my business.’”