The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) seized over six million dollars worth of cocaine in Hidalgo County earlier this month, another success that Governor Greg Abbott attributes to Operation Lone Star.
On March 6, DPS Special Agents responded to a tip from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials about a 2019 white truck and semitrailer suspected of being involved in a drug smuggling scheme.
The truck was flagged for a secondary inspection at the Pharr Port of Entry, where DPS Special Agents found 150 plastic-wrapped bundles of cocaine hidden in the “cargo” area. The total weight of the cocaine exceeded 500 pounds, with an estimate of the cocaine’s street value to be around $6.8 million, according to Texas DPS.
The vehicle’s driver, 33-year-old Mario Robledo from Mexico, was taken into custody and charged with the production and distribution of a controlled substance. Robledo was later booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on the charges.
The recent cocaine bust is part of an ongoing effort by the Texas DPS to combat illegal drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other criminal activities along the southern border. The arrest and seizure were made possible by the cooperation of local, state, and federal agencies under the umbrella of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency initiative designed to enhance border security often celebrated by Abbott’s office.
This wasn’t the only multi-million dollar drug bust this month in Texas.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, The DEA seized 1,500 pounds of methamphetamines worth nearly $5 million hidden in blueberry crates last week in McAllen, Texas. The bust followed a tip from the Pharr Police Department about a warehouse containing suspected narcotics. The DEA later confirmed the drugs were shipped from southern Mexico, with plans to distribute them to Atlanta and across the southeastern U.S.
In a March 14 press release from the governor’s office, Abbott complimented the efforts of DPS and the Texas National Guard, who are working together to secure the state’s border.
“Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, Texas has made significant strides in combating illegal immigration, narcotics trafficking, and transnational criminal activity,” Abbott said. “Our law enforcement agencies have seized over 626 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined.”
DPS’ Criminal Investigations Division is continuing its investigation of the drug smuggling scheme and any more potential connections to the recent cocaine bust.