Federal agents have arrested two San Antonio men after finding nearly 1,200 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside boxes of fresh lettuce.
Gerardo Pineda-Gallegos and Jose Lopez-Ruiz face federal charges for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, Attorney Justin Simmons announced.
According to the U.S Attorney’s Office, the arrests took place after weeks of investigations by the Homeland Security Task Force, which began back in mid-December when authorities identified the men as major methamphetamine dealers operating out of what has been referred to as a “wholesale produce warehouse.”
On December 15 of last year, surveillance allegedly captured Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz receiving large shipments of methamphetamine hidden within fresh produce at the warehouse. The report also states that both men made multiple trips in and out of the warehouse facility before loading a cargo van and driving to a nearby office space, where they would later take the drugs to be prepared for mass distribution.
After watching the facility for a few weeks, a multi-agency team, including DEA and FBI agents, along with the San Antonio Police Department Drug Trafficking unit, executed a search warrant on the office location.
Inside, agents and officers found around 100 boxes filled with heads of lettuce.
A follow-up search revealed 998 ball-shaped packages of methamphetamine concealed within the produce, weighing approximately 555 kilograms – about 1,223 pounds.
If convicted, both defendants face 10 years to life in federal prison and fines of up to $10 million each for the drug scheme.
The arrests put another spotlight on a troubling trend of drug traffickers hiding large shipments of drugs in what, at first glance, seem like ordinary food products to cross state lines.
In April of last year, Customs and Border Protection officers reported that they found $14.6 million worth of meth hidden in a large shipment of bell peppers and cucumbers at the Pharr International Bridge border crossing.
Only a few months later, in July of 2025, The Dallas Express reported on a similar scheme involving $15 million worth of meth hidden in carrot shipments.