Texas Deputy Sheriff Makes Another Huge Meth Bust — $1.3 Million

A Fayette County deputy sheriff who specialized in drug interdiction on a rural Texas interstate highway seized $1.3 million worth of methamphetamine on Tuesday. This follows a $1.6 million seizure made by the same deputy and his K-9 partner “Lobos” on July 12.

Fayette County Sergeant Randy Thumann and Lobos were patrolling on Interstate 10 just east of Schulenburg, Texas, at the infamous 666 mile marker. Thumann initiated a traffic stop on a flatbed truck and observed the driver was in an extremely nervous state, information obtained from Fayette County Sheriff Lt. David Beyer by Breitbart Texas revealed.

Sgt. Thumann began questioning the suspect about his travel plans and other information. He learned the man was driving a vehicle that did not belong to him and was provided “suspicious registration information.” The sheriff’s sergeant eventually broke the man’s travel story and obtained permission to search the vehicle.

K-9 Lobos and Sgt. Thumann conducted a search of the vehicle and found four brand new fire extinguishers hidden throughout the truck. The sergeant observed the fire extinguishers were identical to those found in the seizure of about $800,000 worth of meth in June 2015.

The fire extinguishers were cut open and approximately 30 pounds of meth were discovered. Officials estimated the street value of the drugs at $1.3 million.

The driver was identified as Alberto Jonas Gamez, 37. He was arrested and transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center where charges will be filed for transporting the drugs. Gamez is reported to be a U.S. citizen. The truck and the drugs were seized by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

Breitbart Texas reported on Monday about the efforts of Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek to make drug enforcement a major priority for his department. Sgt. Thumann joined the department about the same time the sheriff was first elected in 2004 and has become recognized as an expert in drug interdiction.

In addition to the seizure millions of dollars worth of drugs, Thumann and his K-9 partners Lobos and Knight have become highly effective at seizing large quantities of cash being transported back to Mexico that represent the proceeds of previous drug sales. In one case alone, Thumann found $428,000 in cash hidden in secret seat compartments in a Honda Odyssey. Lobos alerted to the scent of the cash and Thumann conducted a search to find the money. The man and woman who were in the vehicle were charged with felony money laundering.

The two drug busts made in just over two weeks brought in a total of nearly $3 million in methamphetamine that will not be showing up on the streets of our nation’s cities. It also clearly illustrates the impact of our nation’s open border policies when these quantities of drugs are discovered after clearing border security checkpoints.

Editor’s Note: The term narcotic was used to describe the methamphetamine in this article. That term has been changed to the generic term “drugs.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.