K-9 Ballantine's 180-pound meth bust at Dallas Love Field leads to 20-year prison sentence, police say
Ten months after Dallas police K-9 Ballantine alerted officers to nearly 180 pounds of methamphetamine packed inside nine suitcases at Dallas Love Field, one of the five people arrested in the case has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Jakoi Rice, 23, received the sentence after being convicted Aug. 18 of the first-degree felony charge of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance of more than 400 grams, according to the Dallas Police Department.
In October 2025, a narcotics detective and K-9 Ballantine conducted routine luggage inspections at Dallas Love Field when Ballantine alerted officers to drugs in nine suitcases arriving from Los Angeles and destined for Birmingham, Alabama, on two separate flights.
In addition to Rice, officers identified and arrested:
- Curtis Steve, 35
- Temarcus Jones, 37
- Melanie James, 30
- Arianna Booth, 23
The cases against the remaining four defendants, who were also charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance of more than 400 grams, are pending.
The suspects were taken into custody before they could depart on their flights to Birmingham.
CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.
