Parker County Sheriff's Deputies seized nearly 1.5 tons of pot at a truck stop off Interstate 20 Thursday.
Sheriff Larry Fowler said a sheriff’s deputy spotted an incomplete weld on a truck in the parking lot and decided to inspect the truck. During the inspection, the sheriff's K-9 detection dog gave the deputy a positive alert for drugs.
Firefighters and special investigators were called to the scene to assist in cutting the metal containers on the truck, which was believed to be carrying parts of rock rakes manufactured in Mexico. The rakes are used for highway construction.
Once inside, investigators found nearly 1.5 tons of marijuana stored in the tubes.
Police quickly learned that the driver of the truck worked for an independent trucking company that had picked up the load in El Paso after it had passed through customs. Investigators believe the driver, who was headed to the east coast, was unaware the marijuana was hidden in the containers.
"This is a prime example of what lengths the Mexican drug cartels will go to in order to smuggle drugs into our country,” said Sheriff Fowler. “It is a never-ending battle.”
Fowler added, at a street value of $3,000 per pound, the drugs seized Thursday are valued at approximately $7.5 million.
