Texas Department of Public Safety troopers seized nearly 4 1/2 tons of pot, jammed into a tanker truck and discovered during a routine traffic stop April 9 in Jim Hogg County. DPS officials say troopers stopped the yellow tanker – “bearing suspicious markings” – driven by 24-year-old La Joya resident Reynaldo Hovey Jr. as he was heading eastbound just outside Hebbronville on Monday afternoon. Agency officials have declined to elaborate on the specific reasons for the stop but say that Hovey consented to the search.
Once troopers determined the tanker wasn’t full – of fluid or gas, that is – they climbed up on top, opened the tank hatch and – bingo! – discovered that it was packed, to the brim, with 8,900 pounds of marijuana. (Indeed, says DPS spokesman Tom Vinger, the troopers had to unload some of the dope just so they could squeeze inside in order to take photos.) DPS estimates that the pot, which was wrapped in 864 separate bundles, has a street value of some $4.5 million and suspects that the smoke was destined for Houston.
Needless to say, Hovey was arrested and taken to the Webb County Jail, where he is awaiting arraignment tomorrow (Thursday) in federal district court.
According to DPS, this is the second largest dope seizure, made during a routine traffic stop since 1997 – the largest such seizure in DPS history happened back in July 2004 in Bee County, where troopers seized nearly 6 tons of marijuana (11,896 pounds, to be exact).
This article appears in April 6 • 2007.