Chicago man caught with 17 kilos of cocaine in duffle bag at McHenry motel gets 12 years in prison

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in a plea deal after he was charged with bringing 17 kilograms of cocaine into a Super 8 Motel in McHenry.

Cristian Chavez-Salgado, 27, entered a guilty plea Wednesday before Judge Christopher Harmon to one count of possession of more than 900 grams of cocaine, a Class 1 felony, court records show.

Chavez-Salgado was arrested along with Enrique Navar-Favela, 27, of Stone Park in July in connection with the possession of 17 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine at a Super 8 Motel in McHenry, according to the criminal complaints in each man’s case filed in McHenry County court. Both were originally charged with manufacturing and delivering more than 900 grams of fentanyl and cocaine, Class X felonies, as well as possession of the illicit narcotics, according to the criminal complaints.

In exchange for Chavez-Salgado’s plea, all other charges against him were dropped. He also was ordered to pay about $22,400 in fines and fees, according to court records.

Both men were ordered to be detained in the McHenry County jail while awaiting trial last year, with Judge Carl Metz ruling that both men posed a real and present threat to the community and were flight risks.

Navar-Favela’s case still is pending. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a possible plea deal Friday, according to court records.

Metz said in the ruling denying pretrial release last year that Chavez-Salgado “walked into a Super 8 Motel carrying a black duffel bag containing 17 kilograms of what later tested [positive] for the presumptive presence of cocaine and fentanyl.”