Chicago man charged with 14 felonies after Evanston police seize drugs, firearms

A Chicago man is facing 14 felony charges after Evanston police seized suspected drugs, four firearms and several suspected homemade incendiary devices during a search of his home Friday afternoon.

Ernest W. Pentek, 48, was arrested just after 2 p.m. Friday as officers carried out a search warrant at his residence in the 6900 block of North Ashland Avenue, according to an Evanston Police Department press release.

The department’s Special Operations Group investigated information that Pentek was allegedly distributing narcotics in Evanston and Chicago and possessed firearms and potentially dangerous incendiary devices, police said.

Officers recovered more than 500 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 7.1 grams of heroin, 11 grams of Xanax, 4 grams of crack cocaine, 39 MDMA pills and about 2.6 pounds of cannabis, police said.

Officers also recovered a substance believed to be gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, an airsoft rifle, ballistic protective equipment and $1,185, police said.

Pentek was charged with four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon involving a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches, police said.

He also faces one count each of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and possession of cannabis, along with four counts of possession of a controlled substance, according to police.

Evanston police’s Special Response Team and the Cook County Bomb Squad assisted in the search. Chicago police also assisted in the operation, Evanston police said.

Pentek was scheduled for an initial court appearance Saturday at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, according to the release.