Texas Governor Greg Abbott increases reward amount up to $5,000 for reporting criminal stash houses

In a Wednesday press release, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his office announced an increase in the reward amount for reporting information that leads to the identification of criminal stash houses.

The Public Safety Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety increased the reward amount to $5,000, the press release stated. The state hopes to crack down on stash houses that facilitate drug and human trafficking and illegal border crossings.

"As President Biden's dangerous open border policies continue to allow cartels and other criminal organizations to operate freely in our communities, it is more important than ever that Texans step up and report suspicious activity," said Governor Abbott.

The Texas governor launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021. The operation integrated the Texas Department of Public Safety with the Texas National Guard to monitor smugglers and cartels attempting to sneak drugs and people into the state. The mission deployed air, ground, marine, and tactical border security efforts to fill gaps the federal government left open.

A couple of weeks after announcing the launch of Operation Lone Star, Abbott expanded it to include anti-human trafficking efforts.

Abbott's office reported that since Operation Lone State launched, officers have identified 170 stash houses that led to the discovery of over 1,900 illegal immigrants.

The operation has resulted in nearly 300,000 migrant apprehensions and more than 18,700 criminal arrests, the governor's office reported in August.

The first tipster to take advantage of the new $5,000 reward resulted in the seizure of 19 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, other illegal drugs, four weapons, and $6,000 in gold and silver.

Abbott stated, "DPS and local law enforcement partners are working around the clock to prevent transnational crimes from being committed in communities around the state. These stash houses contain people or drugs that may have otherwise made their way across Texas and the nation because of the dangerous gaps left by the Biden administration's refusal to secure the border. With the help of Texans across the state, we can bring criminals to justice, destroy their illegal enterprises, and keep our communities safe."