Police Dog Sniffs Out 595lbs of Meth Worth $1.2 Million Hidden in Semitrailer in Texas Drug Bust

(Photo courtesy of Lewisville Police Department)

K-9 officer helps Texas police make one of the largest drug busts in department’s history

On Feb. 23, 2020, Officer Pat Robey and his trusty K9 police dog Stryker of the Lewisville Police Department in Texas were called to search a suspicious tractor trailer and, thanks to Stryker’s keen sense of smell, discovered a hidden cache containing $1.2 million worth of methamphetamines.

According to a Facebook post by the Lewisville PD, they received a tip from a fellow agency at 3:00 p.m. about a semi-truck stopped on “a major highway” in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. K9 Stryker performed a “free air sniff” inside the trailer and let Robey know that there were drugs present.

Photo courtesy of Lewisville Police Department

After taking the trailer to the LPD on Robey’s suggestion, officers, with Stryker’s help, found a huge stash of meth packaged in powder form inside a hidden compartment. Stryker had struck gold.

The bust was also notable for its sheer size. Once identified and removed from the trailer, the meth added up to 270 kilograms (a little over 595 pounds).

This makes it “one of the largest drug busts in the department’s history… [and] also the largest drug bust in the career of K-9 Stryker,” per the LPD post. The picture the department took of Officer Robey and Stryker shows them next to two large police trucks with an impressive wall of meth bricks stacked on the tailgates, appearing to be several feet high.

Photo courtesy of Lewisville Police Department

The drug in question, methamphetamine, has become one of the most notorious in recent decades for its addictive and deadly qualities. According to a 2019 CDC’s National Vital Statistics Report, methamphetamines were the fourth deadliest drug nationwide and the number one cause of overdoses in southwestern states, including Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Captain Chris Butterworth of the LPD underscored the importance of the bust in an interview with CNN. “Anyone that knows methamphetamine knows how destructive it is to families so it’s definitely important to not have that circulating in our communities,” he said.

While the bust itself was significant news, Stryker’s crucial role helped the post by the suburban police department go viral nationwide. The post has been shared almost 10,000 times, and many commenters encouraged the department to reward the hardworking K9 officer.

Photo courtesy of Lewisville Police Department

One highly appreciative commenter seemed to sum up many readers’ feelings, writing, “Give that dog a bone. Thanks to all our officers for your service.”

The Lewisville PD responded that the faithful dog “got quite a few extra treats, a lot of scratches and as much time as he wanted with his favorite toy.”

Photo courtesy of Lewisville Police Department

K9s play a vital role in the ongoing law enforcement struggle to keep drugs off American streets. It took not one but eight police service dogs to help pull off the largest cocaine busts in U.S. history at the Philadelphia, PA, port in June 2019.

The dogs, which were from county and city K9 units, helped uncover a staggering $1.3 billion worth of cocaine located in a Swiss-owned shipping container. The sheer weight was equally impressive with over 18,000 kilograms (almost 40,000 pounds) discovered with the help of the sniffing dogs, per U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Meanwhile in Texas, Stryker has done his part in the fight against drug trafficking and is earning well-deserved accolades for what he has done to keep Americans safe.