A Russian national was arrested after Louisiana deputies say they found nearly 790 pounds of methamphetamine in an 18-wheeler on I-12.
A Russian national was arrested in a major Louisiana meth bust after deputies say they found nearly 790 pounds of the drug inside an 18-wheeler on Interstate 12 in Denham Springs. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said the seizure ranks among the largest in parish and state history.
Authorities identified the driver as Anton Vitalyevich Rakov. Deputies said he was stopped Tuesday on I-12, about 20 miles outside Baton Rouge, during a traffic stop in his semi-truck. Officials described him as a deportable Russian national and said the arrest over his immigration status led them to search the trailer, where they found approximately 358.14 kilos, or 789.56 pounds, of methamphetamine. Sheriff Jason Ard called it “one of the LARGEST Methamphetamine Seizures in Livingston Parish (And, Louisiana).”
The sheriff’s office said Rakov was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and remains in custody. Officials have not said what led to the stop in the first place. The Post said it reached out to the department for more information. Deputies also released photos showing the size of the haul, including tinfoil-wrapped bricks spread across folding tables, bins filled with packaged product, and a stacked pyramid of bricks beside Sheriff Ard.
The bust stands out even in a parish that has seen other major drug seizures in recent months. In February, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said it seized about 361 pounds of methamphetamine during another traffic stop, with the Justice Department later estimating the drugs were worth nearly $4 million. In that case, the suspects were identified as Jostin Antonio Orellana-Romero, 22, a Honduran national, and Edenilson Alexander Castaneda-Del Valle, 18, a Salvadoran national. Both were in the country illegally at the time of their arrests and face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
In March, a separate drug task force made up of the DEA, FBI and Louisiana State Police said it found roughly 325 pounds of narcotics hidden in welded metal boxes inside ice cream freezers on another 18-wheeler. The suspects in that case, Ranulfo Garcia Rodriguez and Christian Antonio Sanchez Ramirez, were identified as Mexican nationals and also face 10 years to life in federal prison.
The Louisiana meth bust underscores how traffickers keep using commercial trucks to move large loads through American highways, putting local deputies and federal agencies on the same front line. For Louisiana drivers and communities along busy freight corridors, the case is a reminder that routine traffic stops can uncover major drug operations and trigger immigration enforcement at the same time.
