Texas is a major corridor for 

cocaine trafficking, primarily controlled by Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) that use the region for transportation, transshipment, and distribution across the United States. Law enforcement agencies frequently seize multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine in the state. 

Trafficking Dynamics

• Origin and Routes: The majority of cocaine trafficked through Texas originates in Mexico and enters the U.S. via the South Texas border area. DTOs utilize various methods, including private and commercial vehicles with hidden compartments, maritime smuggling via the Gulf Coast, and leveraging the region’s extensive highway system for onward distribution to other states, such as Maryland.
• Key Hubs: The South Texas border area and San Antonio serve as primary smuggling and transshipment centers.
• Enforcement Efforts: Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), collaborate through task forces like the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and Operation Lone Star to disrupt these operations. Recent news reports detail significant seizures, including a November 2025 DPS traffic stop in Hidalgo County that yielded 137 pounds of cocaine. 

Legal Penalties in Texas

Cocaine is classified as a Schedule II substance in Texas, indicating a high potential for abuse, and penalties for trafficking are severe. Charges are always felonies, with sentencing dependent on the amount of cocaine involved. 

Texas is a principal drug smuggling corridor, with Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) using the state as a key transportation, transshipment, and distribution center for large quantities of cocaine. Law enforcement agencies in Texas aggressively investigate and prosecute cocaine-related crimes. 

Overview of Cocaine Trafficking in Texas

• Primary Corridor: The South Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) region along the U.S.-Mexico border is a major entry point for cocaine into the United States.
• Dominant Organizations: Mexican DTOs, including the Gulf Cartel, control most of the trafficking operations in the region and utilize sophisticated methods, including maritime smuggling via the Gulf Coast and transportation via highways.
• Seizures and Operations: Texas law enforcement, as part of initiatives like Operation Lone Star and various multi-agency task forces, regularly conduct traffic stops and port inspections, leading to significant cocaine seizures. Recent operations have dismantled trafficking pipelines extending from Texas to other states like Maryland.
• Methods: Cocaine is often concealed in false compartments in vehicles, in commercial cargo like tractor-trailers, or transported in bundles that sometimes wash ashore along the coast. 

Legal Penalties for Cocaine Trafficking in Texas

Cocaine is classified as a Penalty Group 1 substance under the Texas Controlled Substances Act, and all charges, even for simple possession of less than 1 gram, are felonies. Trafficking (manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to deliver) carries severe penalties that escalate with the amount of the substance involved. 

Trafficking across state or country borders often results in federal charges, which also carry severe penalties, including potential life imprisonment and fines up to $10 million, depending on the quantity and specific circumstances. 

Individuals facing cocaine trafficking charges should seek legal counsel immediately due to the gravity of the potential consequences. For more information on Texas drug laws, you can review the Texas Health and Safety Code online. 

Cocaine trafficking in Texas is primarily dominated by 

Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), including major cartels like the Gulf, Sinaloa, and Juárez Cartels. These organizations control the smuggling routes from Mexico into Texas and use a variety of networks for distribution within the state. 

Federal and state law enforcement agencies frequently investigate and apprehend individuals associated with these organizations. Recent arrests and convictions show a wide range of people involved in these criminal enterprises, from high-ranking cartel members to local gang members and even public officials. 

Key groups and individuals involved in recent cases include:

• Mexican Cartels: The primary organizational threat, using their sophisticated command-and-control structures to move large quantities of drugs across the border and into major Texas cities like Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.
• Local Gangs and Criminal Groups: Various local gangs, including the “Texas Syndicate” and the “Tren de Aragua” (TdA) gang, are involved in the distribution of cocaine and other drugs within Texas.
• Individuals and Local Networks: Numerous individuals are arrested regularly for their roles in trafficking. This includes a recent case where a former mayor of the border town of Progreso was jailed for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring, using his position to facilitate the movement of drugs.
• Transnational Organizations: Networks extending from Texas to other states, such as a major organization recently taken down that was moving large quantities of cocaine from Texas to Maryland. 

Law enforcement efforts, such as the Governor’s Operation Lone Star, continue to target these operations, leading to significant seizures and arrests across the state. 

Cocaine trafficking in Texas is primarily dominated by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), including major cartels like the Sinaloa, Gulf, and Juárez Cartels. These organizations control the smuggling routes from Mexico and operate sophisticated distribution networks throughout the state and into the rest of the U.S.. 

Federal and state law enforcement agencies frequently announce arrests and convictions of individuals and members of various criminal groups involved in these operations. Recent news from 2025 has highlighted the following:

• Mexican DTOs: These remain the primary organizational threat and have command-and-control centers in Mexico and North Texas. They use the Texas border cities of Laredo/Nuevo Laredo, McAllen/Reynosa, and Brownsville/Matamoros as key entry points.
• Various Gangs and Syndicates: Local gangs and criminal syndicates, such as the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang and the “Texas Syndicate”, are involved in the distribution and street-level sales of cocaine and other drugs within Texas.
• Individuals and ad-hoc groups: Numerous individuals operate within these larger networks. Recent cases have included a Texas mayor jailed for his role in a cocaine ring, a former Olympic athlete accused of running a transnational drug organization, and a group that used a taco truck to deliver narcotics.
• International Connections: Investigations often reveal extensive networks, with cocaine sourced from Mexico and distributed to other states like Maryland, Illinois, and Missouri. 

Law enforcement efforts, often conducted through multi-agency initiatives like Operation Lone Star and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, continuously target these organizations. For example, recent operations have resulted in the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine and the indictment and sentencing of numerous traffickers.