When a Texas Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a gas tanker as part of a routine stop for commercial vehicles, it's probably safe to assume the trooper expected the ordeal to pass without incident. Instead, the trooper discovered roughly 3.9 tons of marijuana stored inside the tanker.

The tanker's driver, Paul Anthony Simmons, 45, was pulled over in San Patrico County sometime on Tuesday. It's not clear how the trooper noticed the pot but what is clear is the size of the bust: at 3.9 tons, or 7816 pounds to be exact, the pot filled the tanker. It's also one of the largest drug busts on record in the area.

"It's a big, significant seizure," Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Sgt. Johnny Hernandez. Hernandez wouldn't release Simmons name to NBC News, citing an on-going investigation, but several local news outlets reported it.

Simmons is currently being held on $1 million bail. The confiscated marijuana was valued at $3.4 million.