A Lancaster man is staring down a potential life sentence after state troopers pulled over a rental car on Interstate 40 near Amarillo last summer and found what authorities say was nearly 100 pounds of methamphetamine stuffed in the trunk.
A federal jury in Amarillo on Wednesday found 33-year-old Cameron Nesbitt guilty of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine following a two-day trial.
According to MyTexasDaily, jurors returned the verdict after sifting through more than 40 exhibits. Prosecutors say Nesbitt faces a statutory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 21, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
A traffic stop unearthed vacuum-sealed packages
The case began with a traffic stop on Aug. 2, 2025, in Oldham County, when a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper pulled over a speeding Toyota Corolla on I-40 near Vega. A narcotics K-9 alerted to the vehicle, according to KFDA.
Officers popped the trunk and found a large black duffel bag packed with 15 vacuum-sealed bundles. KFDA reported the bags weighed about 101 pounds altogether, with an estimated street value of roughly $4.5 million. DEA agents and task-force officers soon arrived at the roadside to join the investigation.
Prosecutors say North Texas was being used as a distribution hub
In a press release, prosecutors described the stop as cutting off an interstate shipment before it could filter deeper into the country, according to MyTexasDaily. Joseph B. Tucker warned that “traffickers who exploit north Texas as a distribution hub for moving dangerous drugs across the United States will face the full weight of federal law,” while U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould credited DPS troopers and DEA agents with stopping the load before it reached local streets.
The driver, Johian Scott, has already pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and is scheduled for sentencing on June 30, 2026, according to court filings cited by prosecutors.
Federal enforcement in the Panhandle
The Northern District of Texas has increasingly homed in on bulk meth runs into the Panhandle in recent years, even pursuing life sentences in some high-profile Amarillo prosecutions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. Local and federal officials say those cases depend on tight coordination between the DEA, DPS, and city police to intercept drug loads as they cross state lines.
Nesbitt remains in federal custody while he waits for his July sentencing, and prosecutors say the case is a textbook example of how multiagency traffic interdictions are used to stop large meth shipments before they can spill into North Texas neighborhoods.
