Court Documents: Man wanted for escaping Tx jail arrested near Dalhart with drugs and cash

DALHART, Texas (KFDA) - Law enforcement arrested a man after they say officials found about $322,000 worth of drugs during a traffic stop near Dalhart.

Court documents state on May 1, a Texas DPS trooper encountered a silver Cadillac XTS traveling north on US-87 near Dalhart.

The trooper used a radar to check the vehicle speed at 93 mph in a 75 mph zone. Documents state the trooper conducted a traffic stop and contacted the driver, who identified himself as Ronald Gray Nanni.

Documents state the trooper smelled an odor of marijuana while speaking with the Nanni and ordered Nanni and two other occupants out of the car.

The trooper conducted a probable cause search of the car and found a backpack on the rear passenger floorboard of the driver’s side. According to court documents, the trooper searched the backpack and found:

• 29 pre-packaged bags of a substance determined to be heroin, weighing about 764.4 grams
• A compressed white power brick determined to be fentanyl, weighing about 519.4 grams
• 29 pre-packaged bags of a substance determined to be methamphetamine, weighing about 893.4 grams
• A small clear bag with a white powder determined to be fentanyl, weighing about 61.1 grams
• Pills and cannabinoids

According to street value estimates, the drugs are worth about $322,000.

Court documents state the trooper separated the occupants for the investigation and discovered Nanni initially gave a false name. Law enforcement determined the driver was Steven Nanni, a fugitive wanted for escaping from a Texas correctional facility.

While conducting a search of Nanni, law enforcement say they found about $3,764 in cash in the suspect’s pants pockets.

Court documents state during the investigation, Nanni admitted to trafficking drugs in the Houston area. He also admitted to possession of the backpack and knowledge of the drugs inside the bag.

Nanni was booked into the Randall County Jail for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

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