Texas DPS Intercepts Fentanyl Load in Laredo and 60 Pounds of Cocaine on I-35

LAREDO, Texas — Special agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) seized more than 153 pounds of illicit narcotics—including nearly 20 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl—during a commercial vehicle inspection at the Laredo Port of Entry, state authorities announced.

The seizure occurred at approximately 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as part of a joint Operation Lone Star (OLS) initiative. DPS Criminal Investigations Division (CID) special agents responded to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers after an inspection of a commercial vehicle revealed a massive drug shipment hidden inside.

Laredo Commercial Vehicle Interception

Investigators recovered 94 pounds of fentanyl, 26 pounds of methamphetamine, 18 pounds of heroin, and 15 pounds of eutylone from the commercial transport. State officials estimated the collective street value of the seized drugs at more than $1.4 million, noting the fentanyl load alone represented over 19.8 million lethal doses.

DPS agents took over the criminal investigation and arrested the vehicle’s occupants: driver Ernesto Jaime, 53, of Wisconsin, and passenger Enrique Ramirez Valle, 51, of Oklahoma. Both men were booked into the Webb County Jail on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance.

K-9 Unit Intercepts 60 Pounds of Cocaine in Hill County

In a separate drug interdiction operation, DPS officials reported that a contraband detection unit intercepted a major cocaine shipment along Interstate 35 in Hill County.

A DPS trooper initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling along the highway. DPS K-9 Karma was deployed to conduct an open-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle, signaling an alert to handlers. A subsequent physical search of the vehicle yielded more than 60 pounds of hidden cocaine. State authorities noted that the Hill County traffic stop remains under active investigation.