1,795 POUNDS OF POT SEIZED IN LASALLE

La Salle County claimed its biggest drug bust yet when officers
searched a speeding 18-wheeler truck and discovered more than 1,700
pounds of marijuana hidden in duffel bags, Sheriff Robbie Thomas said.

Rene Louis Coronado, 35, of San Antonio, remained in La Salle County
Jail in lieu of a $150,000 bond on a charge of possession of marijuana
with intent to deliver.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Coronado was driving northbound on
Interstate 35 from Laredo when an officer noticed his 18-wheeler was
speeding and pulled him over, Thomas said. Coronado appeared nervous,
giving conflicting accounts about his final destination.

After Coronado consented to a search of the truck, the officer
discovered dozens of duffel bags in the back, holding plastic bags
filled with 1,795 pounds of marijuana -- an amount with an estimated
street value of $1,432,000. The plastic bags appeared to be doused in
Clorox to hide the marijuana's odor, Thomas said.

"This is record seized for us. We've been knocking down 100 pounds,
200 pounds, but never this much," Thomas said, adding, "they took a
pretty big hit."