The Texas Department of Safety seized around $1.4 million worth of narcotics during a Sept. 22 commercial vehicle inspection in Webb County. (Texas Department of Public Safety / FOX 7 Austin)
LAREDO, Texas - The Texas Department of Public Safety seized around $1.4 million worth of illegal drugs during a commercial vehicle inspection in South Texas last week, according to officials.
What we know:
The Sept. 22 inspection was a part of a joint investigation with federal authorities dubbed Operation Lone Star.
Special agents from DPS’s Criminal Investigations Division assisted U.S. Customs and Border Protection with the inspection around 7 a.m. at the Laredo Port of Entry in Webb County.
DPS said the narcotics found during the vehicle inspection included 94 pounds of fentanyl, amounting to over 19 million potentially lethal doses.
Investigators said they uncovered multiple other drugs, including 26 pounds of meth, 18 pounds of heroin and 15 pounds of eutylone.
The driver, Ernesto Jamie, 53, of Wisconsin, and a passenger, Enrique Ramirez Valle, 51, of Oklahoma, were both arrested and booked into the Webb County Jail for felony possession of a controlled substance, according to DPS.
The Source: This information comes from a Sept. 25 press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.