The question “How many pounds of methamphetamine can a Lexmark toner cartridge hold?” would probably not be found on a standard Trivial Pursuit game card. But apparently, the answer is “Less than six pounds.”
Last week, deputies with the Fayette County (Texas) sheriff’s department seized 59 pounds of methamphetamine from a car that was traveling on Interstate 10 near Schulenberg, according to KXAN-TV, an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas. The substance was packed into 10 Lexmark toner cartridges sealed in the trunk of a Volkswagen SUV being driven by Alvaro Barrera, 49, of Laredo, Texas.
Barrera was pulled over just after 2 p.m. on Feb. 4 by Sgt. Randy Thumann for a traffic violation. After Barrera gave Thumann permission to search the SUV, K9 partner Kolt was able to sniff out the substance through the plastic-sealed boxes.
The substance has an estimated street value of $2.7 million, Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek said in a press release.
Barrera was arrested on a charge of felony drug possession. As for the 10 Lexmark cartridges, they are presumably unfit for recycling.
