Inspecting things can be a dirty job. Home inspectors have been known to climb down into damp crawl spaces under houses. Zoologists often inspect animal manure to determine if it shows the animal is healthy. Septic tank technicians drain and inspect tanks. One Fayette County Police Deputy in Texas recently stopped a 2014 Dodge septic truck and determined to do the dirty job of inspecting the contents. Much to his surprise, he did not find sewage inside.

Police Deputy sniffs out trouble

In the retelling of the traffic stop story on Fayette County’s Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, David Smith, of the Narcotics Interdiction, Unit did a routine traffic stop. There was a problem, though. The two occupants of the septic cleaning truck appeared nervous. As it turns out, the driver did not have a driver’s license. But, still not at ease with the behavior of the occupants, Deputy Smith decided an inspection of the vehicle was necessary as well. 

That is where this routine traffic stop became a dirty job, or it could have. Deputy Smith had the tank of the vehicle opened. Much to his surprise, waste was not what caught his attention while inspecting the tank. 

Police Deputy finds something in the tank

The driver and passenger of the vehicle were attempting to be pot smugglers. In the tank of the truck, there were several bundles of packaged pot. The marijuana was wrapped in cellophane, axle grease, and tape. The Facebook post about the traffic stop discovery appropriately starts off with, “The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Interdiction Unit continues to take the “waste” off of I-10 in Fayette County.” 

Another septic tank truck was also stopped

This is not the first time this has happened in Fayette County. Almost five years ago there was another stop. It involved a Ford septic tank truck. That traffic stop yielded almost 1,500 pounds of pot. A post covering that story is below.

It is not unusual for smugglers to use commercial vehicles for their transportation needs, especially commercial trucks that have more spaces to hide contraband in them. Commercial or not, Border Patrol agents have found packages of drugs inside of truck tires, inside of seats, under false panels in the trunk, inside gas tanks, a just about anywhere else in a vehicle. 

Smugglers will use anything stealthy to evade Police

Smugglers have also been known to make custom vehicles for stealth operations. A recent story posted on the Vinwiki channel on Youtube describes a gentleman’s purchase of one of the stealth vehicles at auction, and what he discovered about the truck’s nefarious purpose along the way. That is posted below.

Being creative to make money is smart. But, being creative to break the law is not so smart. Unfortunately, as inconspicuous as a septic tank truck may seem, the truth is revealed sooner or later. This happened to be the day of reckoning for the two smugglers. Now, time in the slammer for the driver and other occupant will have them reflecting on the error of their ways.