Federal agents have wrapped up another reminder that Lubbock’s drug problem is not a “big city issue,” no matter how hard we pretend it is. Three people were sentenced this week after investigators uncovered a fentanyl and meth trafficking operation that funneled massive quantities of drugs straight into town—apparently with a recurring road trip to Albuquerque and a flair for backyard concealment.
According to court documents, the DEA had been watching this group since early 2024 after learning they were distributing large amounts of fentanyl locally. Tips led agents to believe they were regularly driving to New Mexico to restock. One attempted traffic stop didn’t pan out, so investigators did what they do best: set up surveillance on a 38th Street residence and waited patiently for the drugs to come home.
When agents finally executed a search warrant, they found a safe hidden inside a BBQ pit. Inside the safe? Hundreds of grams of fentanyl and methamphetamine, plus firearms—because nothing says “suburban cookout” like deadly narcotics and guns stored next to where brisket should go. Additional firearms were found inside the house, rounding out the full West Texas starter pack.
Lab testing confirmed about 625 grams of meth and 568 grams of fentanyl. Cooperating sources later told investigators the group had made multiple trips to Albuquerque, buying what they called a “yacht”—slang for 10,000 fentanyl pills—on each trip, then selling thousands of those pills right here in Lubbock. In the end, Charles Srnek got 30 years, Sean Burns got 17 years, and Kiyle Jackson got five. Two others are still waiting on their sentencing dates.
So yeah—maybe while we’re busy arguing about which books are dangerous, we should also worry about the ones hiding yachts of fentanyl in their BBQ pits. Just a thought.