A Waukegan family charged with selling a machine gun to an undercover police officer, then attempting to purchase $600,000 worth of cocaine from the same officer, were being held in the Lake County Jail Friday.
According to Steve Scheller, chief of felony review for the Lake County state’s attorney’s office, Virginia Alvarado, 45, of the 1000 block of Glen Court, was being held on a $400,000 bond; her son, Martin Alvarado, 20, and husband, Francisco Alvarado, 35, of the same address, were each being held on $200,000 bonds, said Scheller.
Last week, Virginia and Martin Alvarado allegedly sold a machine gun to an undercover officer with the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, said Scheller.
The officer used the $1,000 transaction, which took place in a hardware store parking lot, to set up Thursday afternoon’s arrest. Scheller said the same officer agreed to bring two kilos of cocaine to the same location in exchange for $30,000.
At the arranged date and time, the Alvarado family and a family friend, 18-year-old Fernando L. Vasquez, of the 1000 block of Jackson Street, North Chicago, pulled up in the same large van the mother and son had allegedly used for the previous transaction.
After an exchange was made, all four suspects were arrested, authorities said. Vasquez was being held Friday on $200,000 bond on various drug charges.
