Texas troopers seize $3.4 million in meth during stop on semi truck for traffic violation

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently seized nearly 2,000 pounds of illegal drugs during a traffic stop on a semi truck in Live Oak County.

Shortly after 3:30 p.m on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, a Texas DPS trooper initiated a traffic stop on a blue 2020 Kenworth truck tractor semi-trailer for a traffic violation on US 281 near George West.

During the traffic stop, the trooper noticed indicators of possible criminal activity.

A police canine from the Live Oak County Sheriff’s Office was brought to the scene, and the dog alerted to the trailer.

The trailer was searched and officers discovered 479 black tape-wrapped bundles of methamphetamine hidden in a false floor compartment beneath the trailer.

The seized drugs weighed 1,980 pounds and had an estimated street value of $3.4 million.

According to Texas DPS, truck driver Diego Mendez, 32, of Alton, Texas, was arrested on a first-degree felony charge of  possession of a controlled substance over 400 grams. Mendez was booked into the Live Oak County Jail.

Officials said that the shipment of methamphetamine was en route to Dallas, Texas.

The incident remains under investigation by the Texas DPS’s Criminal Investigations Division.