Canadian found with possible stolen guns, drugs during Lufkin Lyft traffic stop

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - A Canadian woman is in the Angelina County Jail after a deputy pulled over her hired car and she was found with illegal weapons and drugs, Sheriff Tom Selman said.

On Wednesday evening, an Angelina County Sheriff's deputy on patrol on US Hwy 59 near the north side of Lufkin observed a speeding 2024 Toyota Corolla headed northbound. The deputy pulled the vehicle over and contacted the driver of the Toyota, who was found to be a Lyft rideshare driver from Houston. While speaking to the driver, the deputy smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the car, so he asked the driver to step from the vehicle in order to conduct a probable cause search for contraband.

The female who paid for the Lyft was seated in the back seat of the Toyota. She was also asked to exit the vehicle.

A passing DPS Trooper stopped at the deputy's location to provide back-up while the county officer conducted his search, Selman said. While searching the car, deputies located marijuana in the car and two large bags in the trunk. The female Lyft customer, a Canadian National identified as Jahtaya O'Day Jah-Kiara Hamilton of Leamington, Ontario, stated the bags belonged to her.

When the bags were opened, a large number of handguns were found in the bags, along with a short barrel rifle (SBR), magazines, and ammunition.

During the course of the investigation, deputies determined that there were 20 semi-automatic pistols in the bags, and a number of them had been reported stolen out of the Houston area. The investigation into the incident indicated the woman had flown into Houston, got the guns from an unknown source, and was headed back to Canada. The Lyft driver was taking her as far as Little Rock.

Deputies have contacted field agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to assist in the investigation. Evidence indicates that the Canadian is engaging in multi-national arms smuggling. The SBR is a prohibited weapon and a felony under state and federal law to possess.

Hamilton and the guns are awaiting arrival of federal authorities to take custody of them.

The Lyft driver was cited and released.

"The discovery of these stolen weapons has obviously prevented them from falling into the hands of criminals and street gangs. Lives probably have been saved by these guns not finding their way to cites somewhere in the U.S. or Canada. Illegal arms are valuable commodities and command large sums of money outside the U.S. and pose a clear danger to both civilians and law enforcement officers," Selman said.