K9 Karma busts man with 24 pounds of drug cartel fentanyl near Baylor University: affidavit

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A Texas Dept. of Public Safety trooper who pulled over a driver for various traffic violations on I-35 discovered 24 pounds of fentanyl in a hidden vehicle compartment thanks to the help of a drug-sniffing K9 officer.

Jaime Alberto Vanegas was arrested on Nov. 11 and charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a criminal instrument, court records show.

The trooper spotted Vanegas driving a 2015 Jeep Compass in the I-35 northbound lanes and decided to pull Vanegas over because the man was speeding over the limit, driving in the left lane without passing and following too closely.

During the traffic stop, Vanegas pulled over near the Baylor University campus and the trooper learned the man did not have a driver’s license.

Vanegas granted the trooper consent to search his vehicle and K-9 Karma alerted the officer to a hidden compartment in the vehicle.

“A trap door was located in the floor of the vehicle that was consistent with aftermarket compartments used for smuggling contraband,” the trooper documented in the arrest warrant.

According to DPS, 10 bricks weighing a total of 24 pounds were removed from the trap door. The substance inside the bricks tested positive for fentanyl, the warrant alleges.

“The packaging was removed from the kilos and revealed imprinted stamps into the bricks that are consistent marking used by a specific drug cartel organization that has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the warrant states.

Vanegas is no longer listed as an active inmate at the McLennan County Jail.