Texas K-9 Team Aids in Capturing Fentanyl Smugglers
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s K-9 team recently responded to requests from local law enforcement in an effort to apprehend suspected fentanyl smugglers. Their search took place at a ranch located about 150 miles from the Texas-Mexico border, where the fugitives were ultimately discovered hidden among dirt and brush.
Chris Olivares from DPS shared a video on social media featuring K-9 Furia as she tracked down a fugitive attempting to evade arrest in San Patricio County. The tracking led police dogs into a pile of dirt and brush at a ranch near Odom, Texas.
According to Olivares, the chase began with Xavier Mario Cisneros, who prompted deputies from the San Patricio County Sheriff’s Office to pursue him, only to escape on foot at the ranch. The deputies had requested the assistance of the K-9 team to help locate men wanted for parole violations set to begin in 2024. Cisneros had previously been imprisoned for the manufacture or delivery of fentanyl.
Cisneros has a history of felony charges, including evading arrest, drug possession, resisting arrest, making terrorist threats, and illegal detention.
Olivares emphasized the critical role of the DPS K-9 teams, noting they assist not only with border security issues but also in tracking down violent offenders connected to the fentanyl crisis. He stated, “Texas has zero tolerance for anyone involved in the manufacture or distribution of this deadly substance.”
Recently, the Texas DPS deployed over 1,000 troopers in South Texas as part of Operation Lone Star to combat human smuggling and drug trafficking, following an order from Governor Greg Abbott.
As reported by the Governor’s office on May 9, since the initiation of Operation Lone Star, various agencies have apprehended over 533,100 undocumented immigrants, leading to more than 53,400 criminal arrests and over 45,100 felony charges. In addressing the fentanyl crisis, law enforcement in Texas has seized over 691 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to impact every man, woman, and child across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Operation Lone Star continues its efforts to mitigate the problems attributed to current federal policies, stating that all individuals arrested for drug offenses would have otherwise impacted Texas and local communities due to perceived open border policies.
