Crime & Safety
New Lenox Cops Seize Thousands of Dollars in Gold, Cash, Shampoo and More From Man Charged in Convenience Store Theft Ring
The police earlier said a raid on a Burbank home and two Joliet convenience stores led to the recovery of cocaine and stolen property.
The New Lenox police stripped a man tens of thousands of dollars worth of "gold pieces," cash, shampoo and other property.
The Burbank man, 65-year-old Mustafa Issa of 7812 S. Nagle Ave., was arrested earlier this month on charges of possession of stolen property, money laundering and possession of a controlled substance.
Issa and two other men—Mamdouh Masood, 36, of 407 B Meadow Ave. in Rockdale, and Ibrahim Adwan, 60, of 16946 88th Court in Orland Hills—were taken into custody at the conclusion of six-week undercover operation targeting "businesses that trafficked in stolen property," police said.
As part of the operation, the police raided Issa's home and two Joliet convenience stores—Sunshine Food Mart at 1922 E. Washington St. and South End Food Mart at 50 McDonough St. In a statement released by the New Lenox police, the cops said the investigation led to the "recovery of stolen property, currency and approximately 35 grams of suspected cocaine from the South End Food Mart."
A recent court filing detailed what exactly the police took from Issa. The convenience store employee—who has not been found guilty of any of the charges—lost:
- $40,640.15 cash
- 18.67 ounces of "gold pieces"
- A 32-inch television
- 10 digital scales
- 179 bottles of shampoo
- 50 boxes of miscellaneous toiletries and toothpaste
- A Magellan Roadmate 1220 GPS
- A 2000 Mercury Cougar
The website goldpriceoz.com put the price of an ounce of gold at $1,326.40. Between the gold and the cash alone, Issa lost more than $65,000 to the cops.
Issa was given a March 26 hearing date but is not required to attend, according to the court filing.
"This hearing is only to determine if there is probable cause that the above captioned property may be subject to forfeiture," the filing said. "This hearing is not a trial on the merits of the forfeiture case."
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