United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DALLAS - United States Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Dallas, Texas, have launched an investigation following the seizure of approximately 1,950 pounds of methamphetamine that was secreted in the bed of a refrigerated tractor-trailer.  The discovery came following a traffic stop in Denton County, Texas, on October 8, 2020.  During the stop, a narcotics detection canine provided a positive alert to police for the presence of an odor of drugs.  Further inspection of the trailer found methamphetamine within the false floor.

“This staggering seizure of methamphetamine and heroin has undoubtedly saved lives and hurt the pocketbooks of this transnational criminal organization,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division.  “Our investigation will not cease until all of those responsible, including those cartel leaders who think they are untouchable, are brought to justice.”

DEA agents determined that 633 packages were secreted within the bed to be later removed and repackaged for additional distribution to various locations in Texas and beyond.  The historic seizure is significant, not only due to its volume, but also to underscore the imminent threat that transnational criminal organizations pose to our communities.  Methamphetamine crosses the southern border on a daily basis and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area is seen as a natural hub for these criminal organizations, based on our vast interstate highway networks to store and re-distribute their illicit product.  The global pandemic has undoubtedly contributed to adjustments in methods to transport illicit drugs from one point to another and organizations have been forced to risk transporting larger poly-drug shipments.  The DEA Dallas Field Division and its partners are committed not only to dismantling these transnational criminal organizations by targeting their command and control elements; but also to strip away their ill-gotten assets generated from the distribution of illicit drugs in the United States.  This seizure accounts for approximately $45 million of revenue denied from these organizations based on retail sales.

DEA Dallas investigators are working with multiple state and local partners throughout North Texas as well as prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Texas to determine if the seizure from this tractor-trailer may be associated with other seizures in the Dallas area that occurred earlier this year.