Texas Rig & Commercial Insurance News: Texas Trucker Caught with $4 Million of Weed
CDL driver Hector Manuel Diaz-Cardenas, age 45, was detained on October 8, 2019 when his load of kitchen stoves was referred for a secondary inspection and found to be carrying a massive load of contraband. X-ray technology at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, TX exposed nearly 5000 bales of marijuana, with a street value near $4 million USD, according to local news source, the Laredo Morning Times.
Big Rig Driver Busted in Texas, Blames Cartel
According to this Laredo Morning Times article Diaz-Cardenas stated that “he arrived at his workplace in Nuevo Laredo to pick up his assigned truck-tractor. He then drove to a warehouse, where he was supposed to pick up a semi-trailer.” His load was not it’s origination point however, and he was directed to a second location to pick it up.
Before he reached US point of entry with his load, he was intercepted by suspected members of a drug cartel. Per his affidavit, he was escorted to another location and made to leave.
He claims to have returned about an hour and a half later to his rig, and started driving towards the US.
Charges Filed
CDL Life magazine notes Diaz- Cardenas was arrested and charged with:
- Import of a Controlled Substance
- Attempt to Import a Controlled Substance
- Conspiring to Import a Controlled Substance
See Contraband from a Texas Rig Insurance Provider’s Perspective
Here at JEB Insurance we provide rig insurance to CDL drivers and owner-operators in Texas. Know that rig insurance is like a club you pay to be in with other Texas based professional drivers.
When illegal activity, like smuggling contraband, happens on our highways, bridges and ports of entry it causes danger and delays to our law-abiding clients. As a CDL driver you should find smuggling as offensive and annoying as we do!
Beyond the impacts drug smuggling has on our population and our economy, we feel it’s frankly rude to hold up thousands of other drivers who are just trying to feed their families.
As insurance providers, we’d like to remind drivers that contraband smuggling is illegal. It will make drivers uninsurable and unemployable in our industry. We want our drivers and fleet managers to be successful, so we remind you that smuggling is NOT an acceptable behavior to insurers. If you’d like to learn more about Texas rig insurance contact us today for a quote! We also provide rig insurance in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa & Nebraska
