Codeine Pills Discovered In West Side Store's Candy Jar

By Anna Deem in News on Oct 17, 2010 5:45PM

During a routine check on Friday afternoon, a revenue agent made a stop at H&Y Food Store at 3825 W. Chicago to make sure that cigarettes were being sold properly and not bootlegged. The agent spotted a large candy jar behind the counter in plain sight of the public, containing about 1,500 codeine pills, police said to the Chicago Sun-Times. Police discovered that the pills were being sold for $5 apiece and they also found a gun behind the counter.

Employee Alma Price, 55, of the 1800 block of South Kildare, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and with not having a valid firearm owner's identification card. Her boss, Iaad Hamad, 36, of the 1200 block of South Wisconsin in Berwyn, also faces the same charges. Both appeared in Bond Court on Saturday. Price was released on an individual recognizance bond and Hamad was held on a $30,000 bond, according to a court clerk. Both are schedules to appear back in court on Nov. 2. The food store has been temporarily shut down by police.