Tip about dog food bags leads to charges in Lubbock marijuana operation - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Ryshawd Tywone Irving faces a second-degree felony charge of possession of between 50 and 2,000 pounds of marijuana, according to the indictment returned this month by a Lubbock County grand jury. Narcotics investigators believe Irving ran the operation, though the Avalanche-Journal report does not detail where in Lubbock it was based. Irving is represented by attorney Michael King, who did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Investigators reportedly began looking into the dumpster after getting a tip about the unusual volume of empty containers. That detail led them toward what they now describe as a large-scale trafficking operation.

For people in Lubbock, the case is a reminder that big narcotics investigations sometimes start with small, strange observations rather than dramatic busts. A second-degree felony in Texas carries a punishment range of two to twenty years in prison. If convicted, Irving faces serious time behind bars. The case will now move through Lubbock County's court system as prosecutors build on what started as a tip about trash.