Traffic stop ends in arrest, cocaine bust in Fayette County
FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Fayette County Sheriff's Office said a traffic stop on Interstate 10 yielded thousands of dollars worth of cocaine Sunday.
According to FCSO, Sgt. Randy Thumann and his K9 partner Kolt stopped a GMC Yukon at mile-marker 663 on Sunday morning at 9:20 for a traffic violation.
FCSO said Sgt. Thumann got consent to search the vehicle after he "observed discrepancies in the driver’s travel itinerary, route of travel and many other familiar indicators of narcotics trafficking."
After Kolt sniffed out the odor of drugs, officers found an after-marker compartment built under the center console.
The sheriff's office said about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of cocaine worth $250,000 was removed from the console.
The driver, Jose Puentes, 31, from Brownsville, was arrested for Felony Drug Possession. FCSO said Puentes was taken to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center.
Sgt. Thumann has been on several major busts in the county, according to the department.
He and his K9 partner found nearly $4 million worth of methamphetamine in a truck's gas tank in March 2022.
Sgt. Thumann and Kolt discovered $850,000 worth of cocaine in the walls of an ice chest on I-10 in July 2023.
The two also recovered $300,000 worth of methamphetamine and marijuana in April 2021.