In early August, 2018, Denton, Texas police announced they arrested two adults, a male and a female, on suspicion of a large opiate prescription drug theft and sales operation. The drugs were pharmaceuticals stolen from various freight shipments bound for North Texas pharmacies.

The couple sold an undisclosed quantity of drugs to the public. Law enforcement officers seized prescription opiates from the alleged drug dealers valued at around $1.5 million.

Weapons theft report tip-off

The investigation began when Denton police received a tip in February, 2018, of two adults involved in connection with a weapons theft. The police monitored the male’s home where the couple lived with a male child approximately 10 or 11 years of age. The adult male led undercover officers to a storage facility, and law enforcement set up additional surveillance at that site.

Suspicion of possible drug trafficking and sales

The Denton police contacted the United States Drug Enforcement Administration when they found discarded pharmaceutical drug company packing material at the home and traced it to a local shipping company that employed the male suspect as a freight worker.

Police set up a successful, controlled drug buy directly from the male suspect, then obtained arrest and search warrants for both the adult male and female; officers combed the residence and the storage unit for drugs matching those reported missing. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency assisted in the search.

Large prescription drug seizure

The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and Denton law enforcement seized over 120,000 medication doses of morphine, hydrocodone, Dilaudid, oxycodone, and fentanyl. The authorities also confiscated 14 weapons and an unspecified amount of cash. The adult male had a prior record of incarceration for possession or manufacture of controlled substances, and the female suspect had a previous history of imprisonment on theft charges of undisclosed stolen goods. The 2018 Denton drug seizure case charged the male adult with illegal possession of weapons and controlled substances. Officers set bail at $520,000. The female received four charges of illegal drug possession and endangerment of a child, with bail set at $175,000. Texas has extremely severe penalties for illegal drug activity as part of the Texas Controlled Substance Act.

Any person suspected of or arrested for a possible drug-related offense may want to obtain professional representation to assist with one of many valid drug charge possession defenses. For people charged with alleged drug-related crimes, an experienced professional will work to reduce charges, lighten attached penalties and, depending on the type of available evidence, can enable a dismissal of charges. Options are available for a legitimate defense to drug charges in Texas.