The Texas Department of Public Safety seized over 12 pounds of suspected fentanyl during a routine traffic stop last week.
According to DPS reports, an encounter began at 8:14 a.m. in Wheeler County, where a DPS trooper pulled over a 2014 Chevrolet Impala for a traffic violation. Upon conducting a search of the vehicle, the trooper uncovered multiple bundles of fentanyl concealed within the rear quarter panels of the car, according to a press release.
The large discovery also prompted a collaborative effort with agents from the DPS Criminal Investigation Division and Drug Enforcement Administration, who were called in to assist in the investigation.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Jose Martinez-Cisneros of Hollister, California, was taken into custody and subsequently booked into the Wheeler County jail. Martinez-Cisneros faces charges of felony possession of a controlled substance. He is also suspected of being an illegal alien and is being held on an immigration detainer. His bail was set at $60,000, per jail records.
According to authorities, the seized fentanyl was reportedly en route from Phoenix, Arizona, to Riley, North Carolina.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, fentanyl has become the center of a crisis that is both national and local in scope. The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) established a specialized fentanyl response unit aimed at combating drug dealers trafficking fentanyl throughout the city.
“Since 2019, we have seen a surge of fentanyl cases here in Fort Worth. In 2023, FWPD responded to over 80 fatal fentanyl overdoses within the city limits,” Sgt. Benjamin Banes of the FWPD previously told The Dallas Express.
In 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated over 79.5 million fentanyl-laced pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. These seizures collectively amounted to more than 376.7 million lethal doses of the drug.
The amount of fentanyl seized this year has already surpassed 190 million deadly doses, according to the DEA.
The Dallas Express has reported on a dangerous new drug often mixed with fentanyl called Xylazine. Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer and muscle relaxer unauthorized for human use, is now associated with rising overdose incidents nationwide.
Philip Van Guilder from the Greenhouse Treatment Center previously told The Dallas Express, “It’s a real crisis, but then you add the Xylazine to it and you’ve enhanced the chances of death. The fatality rate would be much greater.”
In Dallas, there have been 5,473 drug offenses committed this year as of July 1, according to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard.
There are only around 3,000 uniformed Dallas Police Department officers in the field even though a City report recommended closer to 4,000. Closing this staffing gap might be difficult, considering the Dallas City Council approved a DPD budget of just $654 million this fiscal year. As a result, DPD is working with much less taxpayer money than some law enforcement agencies in other high-crime jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and Chicago.