McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Texas Department of Public Safety troopers seized over 200 pounds of cocaine during a truck traffic stop in South Texas as part of the state’s Operation Lone Star border security initiative, the agency said Friday.

The seizure of 98 kilos, or 216 pounds of cocaine, occurred Tuesday in the border town of Weslaco. DPS says troopers stopped a tractor-trailer “and discovered 90 cellophane-wrapped bundles of cocaine concealed inside a pallet of dried goods in the cargo area,” DPS said Friday.

The drugs have an estimated street value of $2 million, the agency said.

Agents from the DPS Criminal Investigations Division then went to a residence in McAllen, where they said they found three AR-15 rifles and an AK-47.

Francisco Marquez-Carretero, Tania Rodriguez-Hernandez and Christian Martinez Caudillo, all from Mission, Texas, were arrested and sent to the Hidalgo County Jail. They face criminal charges for manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance.

started in 2021 by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that uses Texas DPS troopers and Texas National Guard and guard soldiers from other states along the border.

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection wants to add 25 miles of new lighting along the Rio Grande in West and South Texas.

The agency is asking for public comments on its proposal which would also include almost 20 miles of upgrading current lights and adding river access roads in Starr and El Paso counties.

CBP has given the public through Monday, which is Earth Day, to comment on its plans that the agency says are necessary for border enforcement.

“CBP seeks input on potential impacts to the environment, culture, quality of life and commerce, including potential socioeconomic impacts,” the agency posted on its website.

The agency says it also is conducting data and input from state and local governments, other federal agencies, Native American tribes “and landowners that may be affected by, or otherwise have an interest in, the proposed action” as it prepares an environmental assessment.

Maps posted for planned lighting projects in Starr and El Paso counties do not list exact mileage for each proposed sector’s project.

Laiken Jordahl, of the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, says his organization opposes adding bright lights, which could affect nocturnal animals as well as migrating birds along the border.

“This kind of stadium bright, high-voltage lighting is well understood to be a major stressor to wildlife,” Jordahl told Border Report on Wednesday. “This lighting would completely disrupt the ecosystems where it would be installed. And Border Patrol needs to take a good hard look at the impacts of this project before moving forward.”

Jordahl is the Southwest Conservation Advocate for this NGO that has filed numerous lawsuits opposing border wall construction. He says they are watching this current plan carefully and could also decide to take legal action.

He says the maps are confusing, and more information needs to be released to the public. He said he would like to know if the areas also follow plans for building 20 miles of new federal border wall in Starr County.

“Border Patrol is asking the scientific community for comments on the harms of lighting, but they’re ignoring the impacts that these border walls will cause,” he said.

He said the “high-stadium lights” could disrupt the viewing of sky observatories in West Texas, as well as the nocturnal habits of desert bats.

“The El Paso area already suffers from some degree of light pollution from the Juarez Valley from the urban El Paso stretches. But adding additional light pollution is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing. We should be mitigating the existing sources of light pollution there in order to restore dark-night skies for people and for wildlife that depend on the natural dark to be able to navigate, to hunt, to feed, and to find mates,” Jordahl said.

He said adding miles of border lights in South Texas could affect the migratory patterns of thousands of wild birds like those found at the Salineño Wildlife Preserve in far western Starr County.

• CBP says comments can be emailed to: CommentsENV@cbp.dhs.gov.

• You may also provide comments, questions, or concerns by calling (888) 322-4958.

• Or by mail: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. 6.5E Mail Stop 1039
Washington, D.C. 20229-1100
ATTN: Michelle Barnes

CBP has already said that 20 miles of planned border wall being built in Starr County will not include construction through the birding preserve, however, Jordahl says lights put up in the area will severely affect birds in the region.

It’s “really important habitat for wildlife, and nocturnal wildlife like birds and bats and ocelots who hunt there. It’s also a critically important migratory flyway used by millions of birds,” he said. “There are tons of scientific studies that show quite clearly that lighting affects birds and their navigation that affects where they nest, it affects how they are hunted. It completely alters their systems, and especially in such a critically important corridor for migratory birds, we should absolutely not be installing new, polluting sources of stadium bright lighting.”

The agency requests comments and data or information “that could help inform CBP’s analysis of potential impacts. Helpful comments are fact-based, include links to data or research, and provide specific information concerning potential impacts to the environment, culture, as well as quality of life and commerce, including potential socioeconomic impacts.”

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - The ball is rolling on a multi-million-dollar sports complex that’s expected to be a game-changer for the City of Laredo.

The Buena Vista Sports complex that will be located off of Lomas Del Sur is expected to be open by April of next year.

According to City of Laredo Parks Director JJ Gomez, Leyendecker Construction is currently working on designing ten baseball and softball fields as well as the multi-purpose fields that will include artificial turf.

While the lot seems vacant right now, Gomez believes the sports complex will bring in big business opportunities for the area.

“Right now if you drive over there, you will see nothing on the east side of Cuatro Vientos Road but we already got inquiries from hotels and restaurants that want to know that this big complex is coming one of the biggest in the state,” said Gomez. “They are already inquiring to build hotels and restaurants because our goal is to have that complex every weekend be used from out of town teams so once, bring heads in beds and that will be people spending money in Laredo.”

Gomez adds that if approved by the council, phase two of the sports complex could include a large recreation center and potentially even a water park.

The first phase of the project has a price tag of roughly $42 million dollars which is from the sports venue tax.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - Heavy law enforcement is present at an east Laredo neighborhood Thursday morning.

Multiple law enforcement officers were seen at the Casa Del Sol neighborhood at around 8:20 a.m.

Details are light at the moment, but authorities did confirm that it was a raid.

Officers have closed off several blocks to the community while they conduct their investigation.

KGNS+ will have more information as it becomes available.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - Federal agents are seen searching a home in south Laredo Wednesday afternoon.

According to neighbors who live near the 3400 block of Pine Street, it started on Wednesday, April 17, at around 2 p.m.

FBI agents and state troopers were seen in the area. Neighbors say earlier they saw a helicopter hovering over one of the houses.

KGNS reached out to the FBI who stated that the agency was conducting a court authorized law enforcement activity on Pine Street.

Neighbors also stated that the City of Laredo Animal Care Services was called to the scene to assist with dogs who were not allowing the agents into the premises.

No word at this time about what the authorities were searching for; however, witnesses stated that a group of people were taken into custody.

This is a developing story, and we’ll have more information as soon as it becomes available.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - Border Patrol agents at Laredo’s south station arrest an alleged gang member.

Agents say Renato Conseuegra-Clemente admitted to being a member of the Paisas Gang.

Record checks revealed that Consuegra-Clemente had prior immigration removals, convictions for aiding and abetting and distributing meth.

Consuegra-Clemente will be processed as a criminal alien and charged with felony re-entry into the United States.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - A two-story home is damaged after a vehicle crashed into it over the weekend.

The incident happened on Saturday, at around 2 p.m. at the 11000 block of Carmargo Drive.

The residents inside the home had to be evacuated since the vehicle hit the support beam to the second floor.

The Red Cross was notified to help a 50-year-old male who is disabled and his 16-year-old son.

No injuries were reported.