FBI says drugs may have been in van before ICE shooting in Houston

Federal investigators have sought a search warrant for the white work van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after an ICE agent fatally shot him in Houston. The warrant material points to illegal drugs inside the vehicle, and the immigration agents involved were not aware of that at the time.

The drug-related angle centers on multiple plastic bags containing a white crystal-like substance in plain view inside the van, including bags between the driver and passenger seats and on the passenger floorboard. Investigators described the packaging as consistent with methamphetamine, but the material had not been confirmed by lab testing in the warrant material. The warrant sought evidence tied to possible federal drug offenses, including possession with intent to distribute and simple possession.

The shooting took place on July 7 in east Houston’s Magnolia Park area around 6:45 to 6:50 a.m. Central time, during a targeted enforcement operation. ICE agents were trying to stop a vehicle that resembled the target of their operation. There were four occupants in the van, including Salgado Araujo, and the vehicle was relocated on Canal Street.

The officer fired after Salgado Araujo allegedly attempted to use the vehicle as a weapon, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security said.

Salgado Araujo’s family, Latino civil-rights advocates and local officials have demanded transparency. His sons have said he had lived in the United States for about 35 years and was working toward a permit. Family members and activists have called for an independent investigation, and Gov. Greg Abbott said on July 15 that the Texas Rangers would conduct their own investigation alongside federal authorities.