Tests show substance in Houston ICE shooting van was not illegal drugs
Harris County prosecutors confirmed that laboratory analysis found the white powder seized from the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed by an ICE agent in July, was not a controlled substance.
Laboratory results confirmed that the white powder collected from the van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in Houston on July 7, was not an illegal drug, a spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said. The office said it had been notified of the findings after the FBI filed a warrant application alleging the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
The FBI’s warrant, which was unsealed and made public in mid-July, claimed an agent had observed small bags of a crystal-like substance inside the van and cited probable cause for drug-related charges. Federal officials have not indicated that agents believed drugs were present at the time of the stop.
Family members and their attorneys have disputed the drug narrative. An attorney for Salgado Araujo’s brother, who witnessed the shooting, said an unverified claim about drugs was circulated before testing and diverted attention from the core issues of the case.
"Now they’re saying there may have been drugs in the vehicle, which anyone who knew our father would tell you is absurd," Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. told a congressional oversight hearing.
Texas Democratic Representative Sylvia Garcia said the test results disproved attempts to tarnish the victim’s reputation, noting the family had maintained the substance was an electrolyte powder used for hydration.
"As his family has said all along, this was an electrolyte powder to stay hydrated working outside in the hot Texas summer," Garcia said.
The incident has reignited debate over ICE’s vehicle-stop tactics, especially after another fatal shooting involving ICE agents occurred earlier this month. No body-worn cameras were present during the Houston stop, and the agents involved have not been identified publicly.
The district attorney’s office has certified the three passengers in the van as material witnesses in a death investigation, while the brother, Victor Salgado Araujo, remains in ICE custody, prompting calls for his release and an independent investigation.
"I still question to this day why the most material witness in this shooting is still detained in immigration two and a half weeks after this unfortunate event," his attorney said.
The ACLU of Texas criticized the unsealing of the warrant, arguing it suggested a focus on shaping a narrative rather than seeking factual clarity.