Federal Agents Arrest 2 Men After 1200 Heads of Lettuce Found Loaded With Methamphetamine
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
February 10, 2026
SAN ANTONIO TX. They say that looks can be deceiving and for one truckload of fresh, green lettuce that might have been true if it had not been for the keen eye of law enforcement.
Two men now stand charged with trafficking methamphetamine that was hidden inside boxes of fresh lettuce.
Gerardo Pineda-Gallegos and Jose Lopez-Ruiz face federal charges for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, Attorney Justin Simmons announced.
According to the U.S Attorney’s Office, the arrests took place after weeks of investigations by the Homeland Security Task Force, which began back in mid-December when authorities identified the men as major methamphetamine dealers operating out of what has been referred to as a “wholesale produce warehouse.”
On December 15 of last year, surveillance allegedly captured Pineda-Gallegos and Lopez-Ruiz receiving large shipments of methamphetamine hidden within fresh produce at the warehouse. The report also states that both men made multiple trips in and out of the warehouse facility before loading a cargo van and driving to a nearby office space, where they would later take the drugs to be prepared for mass distribution.
After watching the facility for a few weeks, a multi-agency team, including DEA and FBI agents, along with the San Antonio Police Department Drug Trafficking unit, executed a search warrant on the office location.
Inside, agents and officers found around 100 boxes filled with lettuce.
A follow-up search revealed 998 ball-shaped packages of methamphetamine concealed within the produce, weighing approximately 555 kilograms – about 1,223 pounds.
Federal agents have found similar trafficking operations using produce, fruit, fish and everything in between to smuggle their drugs.
If convicted, both defendants face 10 years to life in federal prison and fines of up to $10 million each for the drug scheme.
The arrests put another spotlight on a troubling trend of drug traffickers hiding large shipments of drugs in what, at first glance, seem like ordinary food products to cross state lines.
Border Patrol agents at all ports of entry have stepped up their interdiction of drugs in recent years resulting in substantial drug seizures.
In April of last year, Customs and Border Protection officers reported that they found $14.6 million worth of meth hidden in a large shipment of bell peppers and cucumbers at the Pharr International Bridge border crossing.
Only a few months later, in July of 2025, The Dallas Express reported on a similar scheme involving $15 million worth of meth hidden in carrot shipments.
Copyright 2026 Blue RAM Media. All rights reserved.
