Authorities in Texas have cracked down on drug and criminal activity with the arrest of four men in two separate incidents in Austin, involving marijuana and illegal weapons alongside accusations of robbery plans. The first incident took place in Taylor, where a Williamson County Sheriff’s Office operation led to two men being cuffed for possession of marijuana, firearms, cellphones, and cash. According to KXAN, the sheriff's office began investigating the duo after a November tip-off from locals.
The WCSO stated their objective is to shield the locals from major drug trafficking scourges and disrupt those operations to "prevent controlled substances" from plaguing Williamson County, as mentioned in their press briefing. The two suspects are now facing a string of charges stemming from the discovery of 46 pounds of marijuana and an assortment of handguns during the search warrant operation.
Meanwhile, northwest of Austin, another pair of men found themselves in handcuffs after a suspicious vehicle stop raised red flags for Austin police. The arrest affidavit, as detailed by CBS Austin, indicates 22-year-old Ruben Anthony Barrientos and 20-year-old Kevin Gaines were arrested after their white Buick sedan was pulled over, in relation to expired license plates at a Wells Fargo parking lot.
Police were tipped off by a 911 caller who noticed the vehicle circling the lot, and a passenger who entered the bank wearing a surgical mask and then left without conducting any business. Upon inspection, officers smelled marijuana leading to a search that yielded over 12 grams of the drug, various burglary tools, including gloves, masks, a window-breaking tool, and GPS directions to another bank. Gaines admitted to detectives their intent was "jugging," a term for a type of robbery targeting bank customers. The two were slapped with charges of marijuana possession and unlawful use of a criminal instrument; although, online records do not show them currently behind bars.
