Federal drug enforcement officials report that large and sophisticated drug cartel operations south of the border, in Mexico, have geared up substantially to supplant and take over major sale outlets across the United States for the drug methamphetamine.
As many readers are probably aware, meth has long been on the radar of DEA agents and the government, with crackdowns that began about a decade ago making it increasingly difficult for persons to buy products containing pseudoephedrine, a central ingredient in meth’s recipe.
The cartels have seized upon that to manufacture what drug agents say is a consistently large amount of potent and cheap product, aimed at attracting and then keeping a United States consumer base reliant through high addiction rates.
The implications for drug trafficking and drug distribution are obvious, say authorities.
“These are sophisticated, high-tech operations in Mexico that are operating with extreme precision,” says one DEA agent. “They’re moving it out the door as fast as they can manufacture it.”
Authorities point to a contrast between ultimate supply destinations when comparing domestically manufactured meth versus the product coming in from Mexico. The former often ends up in rural areas across the United States, whereas the imported meth typically ends up in major urban centers, like Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis and Atlanta.
And, of course, the higher purity of the new product translates to a more intense addiction and increased arrests and criminal charges brought against users domestically on charges of possession and intent to distribute.
Source: Fox News, “Cartels flood US with cheap meth,” Oct. 11, 2012
- Drug charges, such as those discussed in this post entry, are serious and can result in substantial prison time and other criminal penalties. Our firm believes that every person charged with a crime has a strong need as well as the legal right to defense representation aimed at securing the best outcome possible in every case. For information on our firm and practice, please visit our Georgia Possession with Intent to Distribute Drugs page.