Arms Cache Found During Traffic Stop – Dallas, Texas
October 30, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
Federal law enforcement officers took two Denton County prisoners into custody Tuesday after officers found about 11,000 rounds of ammunition, more than a dozen assault rifles and several other weapons, 20 ski masks and body armor in the truck they were driving on Interstate 35W near FM407.
The cache apparently was being smuggled into Mexico, according to court records. The serial numbers had been obliterated on most of the weapons, authorities said.
Victor Manuel Villalpando, 29, of Burleson and Noberto Estrada, 24, of Fort Worth, face multiple charges.
The case began about 6:25 p.m. Thursday as Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper David Farrell was patrolling on Interstate 35W. He saw a GMC Yukon near the intersection of FM407 with no front license plate, which is required by Texas law.
According to court records, Trooper Farrell stopped the vehicle. The driver, Mr. Villalpando, did not have a valid driver’s license. The trooper received permission to look inside the Yukon, but when he began searching, Mr. Villalpando ran off. The trooper detained Mr. Estrada and called for help.
With the help of a helicopter and officers from several Denton County law enforcement agencies, Mr. Villalpando was found hiding in a muddy creek bed.
HOOOOAH!! I live about 45 min. from there and also patrol the interstate. Way to go boys. We need more of our brothers in blue,(or in his case, tan), to be more proactive in our traffic stops. Kudos!
Good going guy’s Thank you for help keeping us safe! who knows how many lives that officer saved.we people need to do our part also by keeping our eye’s open.if you see something that don’t look right report it!don’t give it a 2nd thought.don’t worry that you may be wrong.what if you are right and you do nothing about it out of fear of getting a little egg on your face.then the next day you see the headlines and know you could have prevented it from happing just with a simple phone call.could you live with that?I know I could not!
Sorry about the misspelling !I have a demanding 2yr throwing a fit as I am typing. LOL