A Texas woman faces federal drug trafficking charges after police seized 75 pounds of liquid crystal methamphetamine worth $2 million inside her vehicle, according to the Austin Police Department.
The 23-year-old woman from Laredo was stopped for speeding after 11 p.m. on Highway 35 in Austin last week, and officers became suspicious of her during their interaction, APD said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Austin Police estimates the street value of the liquid crystal meth at approximately $2 million.
According to a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court, the suspect initially told police she was traveling to Dallas for a work meeting, but that her story changed during the course of their conversation.
Police say the suspect also acted nervous and became “verbally aggressive,” as they pressed her regarding the irregularities in her story. The woman also refused to let Austin Criminal Interdiction Officers search the 2013 Dodge Avenger she was driving, according to the complaint.
Officers requested assistance from APD’s K-9 unit, and Emma, the department’s narcotics dog led officers to three large jugs hidden inside the trunk and interior of the vehicle, which contained the stash of liquid crystal meth. The jugs originally contained “Purple Power,” a concentrated industrial cleaner and degreaser.
A female passenger in the vehicle told police the suspect picked her up at a San Antonio residence a few hours earlier, so that she could babysit her 4-year-old daughter, who was also present at the time of the arrest, according to the criminal complaint.
In a mirandized interview, the suspect told investigators this was her second arranged methamphetamine delivery, both of which were coordinated by an unidentified man near her Loredo home.
According to the complaint, the suspect made a similar conveyance to Carrollton, Texas, last month, after a mutual friend put her in contact with the unidentified man, the suspect said the same individual coordinated this subsequent delivery to the Dallas area. Investigators say the woman’s statements were corroborated by text conversations found on her cell phone after her arrest.
The suspect is being held without bond and has her preliminary detention hearing July 21, according to US District Court. CNN has reached out to the federal public defender assigned to her case for comment.