Two San Antonio residents ended a late-night drive on Interstate 10 in handcuffs after deputies say a K-9 sniffed out more than 20 pounds of suspected methamphetamine stuffed in a trash bag behind the driver’s seat just outside Flatonia.
Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek told News4SanAntonio that Deputy Cody Williams pulled over a dark-colored Nissan SUV around 11 p.m. Saturday. The SUV was headed westbound on I-10 near mile marker 664, just outside Flatonia.
Schulenburg Police Officer Byron Powe arrived to assist with K-9 Semper, who was walked around the outside of the vehicle for an open-air sniff. Deputies say Semper alerted, giving them probable cause to search the SUV. Behind the driver’s seat, they reported finding a black trash bag holding nine bundles of a crystal-like substance weighing about 20.2 pounds.
Korenek said the driver, 24-year-old Roland R. Champion Jr., and passenger, 22-year-old Emily Guadalupe Mendoza, were arrested and charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.
Where This Seizure Fits
Large meth hauls have been turning up more often on Texas highways this year, underscoring the I-10 corridor’s role as a trafficking route. A high-profile April bust in the Houston area, which federal agents said involved a conversion lab and roughly 1,600 pounds of meth, shows how traffickers are hiding large shipments, per ABC13 Houston.
Local K-9 teams have been central to several of those interceptions. Earlier this spring, a Fayette County K-9 working another I-10 traffic stop helped deputies uncover roughly 20 kilograms, as reported in coverage of 20 kilos hidden on I-10.
What the Charges Mean
Under Texas law, “manufacture or delivery” of a Penalty Group 1 substance such as methamphetamine is a felony, and the potential punishment increases with the quantity involved. The state’s Controlled Substances Act outlines the specific offense levels and sentencing ranges used by prosecutors and judges, per the Texas Health and Safety Code.
According to Korenek, the suspected methamphetamine will be sent for lab testing, which will determine the official weight and could affect whether prosecutors seek higher-weight thresholds that carry steeper penalties.
Champion and Mendoza were booked into the Dan R. Beck Justice Center and remain in custody pending further court proceedings, authorities said. Additional details about the case were not immediately available, according to News4SanAntonio.
