HOUSTON — U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz confirmed that lab tests on a substance found in the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo were negative for methamphetamine on August 13, 2026. The announcement came more than a month after Araujo was shot and killed by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Houston.

"I can confirm what’s already public: lab testing showed the substance in the baggies was not meth," said Reitz, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. He stated there was never a suggestion of narcotics and that federal officials had probable cause to test substances law enforcement believed may be illegal. Reitz added that making search warrant affidavits public quickly is not unusual when the public deserves transparency.

The FBI executed a search warrant on the van after alleging officers saw small bags inside filled with a substance appearing to be methamphetamine. The agency sought the search warrant on July 14, one week after the shooting, to test crystal-like substances found in the van. The search warrant affidavit was made public the day after it was filed. Reitz revealed that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men potentially subject to deportation who were driving a van similar to Araujo's.

An attorney for Araujo's family stated the substance found in the van was a homemade electrolyte mixture used by the construction crew for hydration. U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and a lawyer for Araujo's brother stated the substance was salt mixed with water and lemon for hydration. David Donatti, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, stated the FBI search warrant was part of a government attempt to create a false narrative.

"Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive today, and nothing about the government’s so-called ‘search’ could have changed that fact," Donatti said. "By taking the unusual steps of securing and then unsealing their search warrant, the government has demonstrated that it is more interested in creating a false narrative than in seeking the truth." He added that the Salgados deserve real answers about what happened to their father.

Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and professor of policing and public safety at the University of South Carolina, stated that drug tests can take a few days to a week if high priority, but significantly longer for lower priority tests. Stoughton stated that agencies sometimes reluctance to release information that might contradict a narrative they are trying to establish. The FBI Houston office declined to comment on the open investigation. Reitz's office did not respond to questions about whether the test results will be made public, citing the ongoing investigation.

Araujo was a Mexican national who had lived in the U.S. without legal status for 35 years. He ran a homebuilding business and had no prior criminal record. His death is one of at least 10 during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The shooting caused protests in Houston and calls for an independent investigation.

Timeline

On July 7, 2026, Lorenzo Araujo, 52, was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. José Trinidad Rojas Pliego, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, and Víctor Araujo were passengers in the van at the time of the shooting. ICE officers in unmarked vehicles chased Araujo's white work van through Houston streets before shooting him through the window.

At the time of the shooting, Araujo was driving his work crew, including his brother, to a construction site in Houston. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Araujo weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE officer and that the officer fired in self-defense.

What's New

Additional reporting confirms that on July 7, Lorenzo Araujo was shot to death by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Magnolia Park, a heavily Latino Houston neighborhood, after ICE vehicles started following his van. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz stated, "I can confirm what’s already public: lab testing showed the substance in the baggies was not meth." It is also confirmed that José Trinidad Rojas Pliego, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, and Víctor Araujo were passengers in the van at the time of the shooting.

Raed Gonzalez is representing witnesses José Trinidad Rojas Pliego and Daniel Tirado Pantoja in habeas corpus petitions challenging their detention. José Trinidad Rojas Pliego has been released from detention, while Víctor Araujo and Daniel Tirado Pantoja remain in ICE detention centers. The FBI and ICE's internal oversight office are both reviewing the July 7 shooting, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is conducting its own probe into the incident.

Ruby Powers, attorney for Víctor Araujo, stated that the administration attempted to tarnish the names of victims and witnesses to put doubt in the public's mind about their moral character. U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and a lawyer for Araujo's brother stated the substance was salt mixed with water and lemon for hydration.

How Sources Differ

Regarding the details of the encounter between Araujo and officers in Houston vehicles, desk_web reports that on July 7, Lorenzo Araujo was shot to death by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Magnolia Park, a heavily Latino Houston neighborhood, after ICE vehicles started following his van. The Department of Homeland Security incident report states that ICE officers in unmarked vehicles chased Araujo's white work van through Houston streets before shooting him through the window.

Regarding the context of Araujo's death within immigration enforcement, desk_web reports that on July 7, Lorenzo Araujo was shot to death by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Magnolia Park, a heavily Latino Houston neighborhood, after ICE vehicles started following his van. Department of Homeland Security mortality data indicates that Araujo's death is one of at least 10 during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

Regarding the broader context of immigration enforcement involving Araujo, the Department of Homeland Security incident report states that Lorenzo Araujo, 52, was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on July 7, 2026. Department of Homeland Security mortality data indicates that Araujo's death is one of at least 10 during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

Regarding the role of the office of the Harris County District Attorney, desk_web reports that the FBI and ICE's internal oversight office are both reviewing the July 7 shooting, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is conducting its own probe into the incident. Public statements by officials and attorneys indicate that U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and a lawyer for Araujo's brother stated the substance was salt mixed with water and lemon for hydration.

Why It Matters

The confirmation that no illegal drugs were present in the vehicle challenges the initial justification for the search warrant obtained by federal agents. The incident shows the scrutiny surrounding immigration enforcement tactics and the transparency of federal investigations into use-of-force incidents. With multiple agencies, including the FBI, ICE's internal oversight office, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, conducting probes, the outcome may influence public trust in law enforcement procedures.

Araujo's death occurred within a period of intensified immigration enforcement, marking one of at least 10 fatalities during such operations since the start of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The case has drawn attention from civil rights advocates and elected officials who question the narrative presented by federal authorities. The ongoing detention of witnesses and the family's call for answers underscore the unresolved legal and humanitarian questions surrounding the event.