Smell coming from Buc-ee’s plushies turns traffic stop into drug bust, Texas cops say

A 47-year-old man is accused of smuggling a large amount of drugs — and defiling a Texas icon in the process, according to officials.

The driver, of San Antonio, was pulled over on July 31 and deputies discovered more than two pounds of marijuana, plus ecstasy, hidden inside of Buc-ee’s branded plushies in the back seat of his car, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said in a release shared to Facebook.

“I heard the new Bucee’s in Luling had a little bit of everything, but gee whiz!!” a commenter wrote, referring to the recently opened — and now largest — Buc-ee’s location.

It’s not clear if the plushies were official Buc-ee’s merchandise or simply non-approved toys covered in the gas station chain’s branding. Either way, a deputy quickly noticed something off about beavers after pulling over the man for a traffic violation, the sheriff’s office said.

There was a strong smell of weed coming from the car, and while taking a closer look at the plushies, the deputy saw stitching.

“When Deputy (Cody) Williams felt the plushies, he detected packages inside and observed the plushies to be re-stitched,” officials said. “The stuffed beavers were found to contain packages of marijuana and ecstasy.”

Soon after this discovery, the driver said he was “suffering from chest pain,” and he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Officials did not comment on his condition.

The drugs were seized and an arrest warrant will be issued for the driver, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Smell coming from Buc-ee’s plushies turns traffic stop into drug bust, Texas cops say."