A Texas City man is the second person arrested in a Galveston County drug trafficking investigation that has now yielded roughly 19 pounds of methamphetamine across multiple storage units and residences.
Xavier Franklin, 41, was taken into custody Thursday, July 30, and charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance in Penalty Group 1 involving more than 400 grams, according to KGTX 7 News. His bond was set at $2 million.
The Galveston County Organized Crime Task Force identified Franklin as an alleged business partner of Mone Ford, 22, who was arrested July 24 after a five-search-warrant operation spanning Texas City, La Marque, and Dickinson. Ford also faces a $2 million bond. The task force operates across Galveston County, working with local, state, and federal agencies to target organized drug networks that affect communities including League City.
Storage unit cache
Detectives working with Homeland Security Investigations identified a U-Haul storage unit in La Marque where Franklin allegedly kept narcotics. A search of that unit turned up approximately 3.5 kilograms — about 7.7 pounds — of methamphetamine, along with fentanyl and cocaine, the task force said.
The La Marque U-Haul facility was also one of five locations searched during the July 24 operation targeting Ford, which seized 11.5 pounds of meth, 500 pressed methamphetamine pills, about an ounce of cocaine, 50 fentanyl pills, three pounds of marijuana, a pill press, body armor, a Smith & Wesson handgun, and U.S. currency.
Arrest without incident
Members of the Galveston County Sheriff's Office Crime Reduction Unit located Franklin in Texas City and arrested him without incident. The arrest came six days after Ford was taken into custody and after ABC13 reported July 26 that authorities had not announced any additional arrests in the case.
The investigation has involved the Galveston County Organized Crime Task Force, the Sheriff's Office SWAT Team, Crime Reduction Unit, K-9 Unit, and the Houston Homeland Security Task Force. During the July 24 operation, K-9 Deputy Alex Sharp and his canine partner Cash conducted a free-air sniff at a storage unit that led to the discovery of the main drug cache.
What's next
No court date or arraignment has been announced for Franklin. No defense attorney for Franklin has been identified in available reports.
Following Ford's July 24 arrest, the task force said it would continue working with local, state, and federal partners to combat organized crime throughout the county.
