What started as a routine traffic stop on a South Texas highway ended with one of the larger methamphetamine seizures seen in the region this year.
The Texas Department of Public Safety seized nearly 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine during an Operation Lone Star traffic stop of a commercial motor vehicle in Live Oak County this week, according to a press release from DPS – South Texas Region.
On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, just after 3:30 p.m., a DPS trooper pulled over a blue 2020 Kenworth truck tractor semi-trailer for a traffic violation on US 281 near George West. It did not take long for the stop to become something much more significant. The trooper noticed signs of possible criminal activity and called for backup.
A Live Oak County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit responded to assist. The dog positively alerted to the trailer, giving the trooper and special agents with DPS's Criminal Investigations Division the probable cause they needed to take a closer look. What they found was hidden in plain sight — or rather, beneath it. Tucked inside a false floor compartment under the trailer were 479 black tape-wrapped bundles of methamphetamine, bound for Dallas.
The bundles weighed a total of 1,980 pounds and carried an estimated street value of $3.4 million.
The driver, Diego Mendez, 32, of Alton, Texas, was arrested at the scene and charged with possession of a controlled substance over 400 grams, a first-degree felony. Mendez was booked into the Live Oak County Jail.
The Criminal Investigations Division continues to investigate the case.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
