Methamphetamine worth $5 million has been discovered in the secret compartment of a truck near the Texas border with Mexico.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers confiscated more than 175 pounds of the drug during a traffic stop involving a Dodge Ram pickup on IH-35 in Webb Country.
The estimated street value of the narcotics is thought to be $5,712,000, according to DPS.
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images/ Texas Department of Public Safety
A Mexican citizen was arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. The date of the seizure this week was unspecified.
Newsweek has contacted the DPS by email outside of normal office hours.
Over the weekend, Chris Olivarez, a DPS spokesperson, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “While searching the vehicle, a DPS trooper discovered a false compartment in the bed of the truck containing 57 cellophane-wrapped bundles of methamphetamine.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a post on X: “This week, DPS troopers in Webb County seized $5.7 MILLION worth of drugs during a traffic stop. A false compartment in the bed of the truck contained 175 pounds of methamphetamine. Operation Lone Star stops drug smugglers from harming Texans.”
Under Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s $11 million Operation Lone Star initiative, launched in 2021 to address illegal immigration, DPS troopers have been deployed to counter smuggling operations along the border.
In Texas, penalties for methamphetamine possession are some of the toughest in the country, with sentences varying widely depending on the amount in question.
The state classifies meth possession as a felony offense, meaning even the smallest amounts can lead to significant prison time and hefty fines.
Individuals caught with less than one gram of methamphetamine face up to 2 years in prison, along with a fine of up to $10,000. The harshest penalties are reserved for amounts over 400 grams, and individuals caught with this quantity can face between 10 and 99 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.
There has been a string of high-profile meth-related drug busts at the southern border in recent months.
In another case, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than $17 million worth of meth stashed inside a shipment of coconuts.
And, on September 28, CBP officers at the Pharr International Bridge uncovered nearly 1,950 pounds of a drug believed to be methamphetamine hidden in a tractor-trailer.
Also, CBP officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility confiscated more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine disguised within a shipment of watermelons.
Smugglers had disguised 4,587 pounds of meth by wrapping the packages in bright green plastic with stripes, making them resemble small watermelons.
According to a study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 2.5 million people aged 12 and older reported using meth in the U.S.
Border security and immigration are top concerns for voters as they head to the polls in the 2024 presidential election.
Polling by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on behalf of Newsweek showed 68 percent of Americans believed the federal government should adopt a more hard-line approach to immigration.
