STC Man Arrested After Months-Long Synthetic Drug Sting

DuPage County Sheriff's deputies last week arrested two men, including one from St. Charles, in an undercover investigation that led to the seizure of more than $1 million in from a tobacco shop.

George Rantis, 49, of the 5N800 block of Fairway Drive in St. Charles is charged with one count of manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance of more than 200 grams, a Class X felony. Rantis reportedly is the owner of the shop, located in Lombard. Store manager Sergio Delcid, 46, of Chicago, is accused of the same charge.

DuPage Sheriff John E. Zaruba announced the arrests on Jan. 13. They are the result of an undercover investigation that lasted three months.

This was the first search warrant issued in DuPage County for these types of controlled substances, according to police. The drugs seized in the raid .

Synthetic drugs are manmade substances meant to mimic the effects of other drugs like marijuana. The synthetic versions are reported to have unexpected and such as hallucinations and heart palpitations, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“These newer substances pose a significant threat to the health and well being of the youths in our community” Zaruba said. “We will continue to aggressively fight to keep these substances and all narcotics illegal or prescriptions out of the hands of our children.”

The Investigation

A search for synthetic cannabis and bath salts was conducted on Dec. 15 at Sergio's Discount Smoke Shop, 21W500 North Ave. in unincorporated Lombard. 

Members of Zaruba's multi-jurisdictional Tactical Narcotics Team seized synthetic cannabis, known by brand names K2, Spice & . They also seized bath salts, previously sold under the names Charley Sheene and Ultra. Other discoveries included drug paraphernalia and more than $5,000 in cash.

The business was shut down after police seized the inventory.

Both men were booked at the DuPage County Jail on $100,000 bond each and released after posting 10 percent bail.

The charges indicated in this story are accusations, and the listed defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.