Interstate 35 Stop Leads to $4.8 Million Drug Bust

The Associated Press reported that the Austin Police Department made a routine traffic stop that turned into much more than they may have expected.

Austin Police Department announced on Monday the driver that was driving a vehicle which held $4.8 million worth of drugs.

The traffic stop was made on July 10th for an alleged speeding violation on Interstate 35 South in Austin. The driver of the vehicle was Armando Martinez, 43, of Weslaco. Officers asked Martinez could they search the vehicle, and told them it was fine.

Martinez probably wasn't expecting the officers to come across the narcotics that were hidden in the tires. The investigators reported finding numerous amounts of narcotics in each of the tires of the vehicle.

The report said, "Investigators found 82 pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of methamphetamine and 6 pounds of heroin hidden in metal casings inside each tire." Travis County jail records are holding Martinez on three counts of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.