Crime & Safety

Police: Man Ran Heroin with Newborn Son

Efrain Martinez, his wife and their 7-week-old son were planning on looking at Christmas lights after trying to sell some heroin, police said.

For Efrain Martinez, a family night out includes eating at , driving around to look at Christmas lights and allegedly selling heroin to a Skokie resident.

Martinez, 25, of the 1100 block of Campbell Avenue in Chicago, was charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance after police said they found nearly 40 grams of heroin stashed inside a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos on Dec. 2.

The family of three had just finished eating at a McDonalds in Skokie when they were stopped for a traffic violation in the 7700 block of Crawford Avenue around 8 p.m. With Martinez's wife driving and their newborn son in the backseat, Martinez said his family was on their way to view Christmas lights on display in Skokie, according to police.

Earlier:

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The officer who made the initial stop also happened to be the department's K-9 handler. Martinez, who is on parole, gave police permission to search him outside the vehicle. His wife also gave consent for a search, according to the report.

After securing the infant in the backseat of their squad car, police brought out Dino, the department's only K-9 unit, to smell the exterior of the vehicle. The dog would eventually bark and after searching inside the car, found 36 aluminum foil packets wrapped in white tape containing heroin, according to the report.

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Martinez would later allegedly tell police at the station that "times are tough" and that his wife lost one of her jobs and that her hours were cut by her other employer. He added that he was afraid of losing his family due to lack of resources so he decided to sell heroin to make ends meet, police said.

He said that he was "going to Skokie to sell 'D'," according to the report. When police asked Martinez what "D" meant he responded, "'D,' you know, 'D,' diesel, heroin." The white powdery substance found inside the vehicle would later test positive for heroin, the report said.

Martinez added that he didn't know the name of his customer, but said he was a white male who lived in Skokie.

No charges were filed against his wife, but she was issued several citations for having an expired license plate, no working tail lights and the failure to wear a seatbelt.

Martinez was issued a class X felony and given a court date for Dec. 14 at the Skokie Courthouse.

Check Skokie Patch later for a mugshot of the suspect.

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