Federal agents announced Wednesday that they had seized a ton of methamphetamine in the Los Angeles area, the largest taken by the American Drug Agency (DEA) in the United States, they said.
“This is enough drug to provide a dose of meth for every man, woman and child in the United States and Mexico,” DEA interim official Timothy Shea told reporters.
The investigation began last June and identified an important network in southern California linked to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, leading subsequently to various drug caches in the region.
Following a surveillance operation on traffickers, the police were able to seize a total of, in early October, one ton of methamphetamine (with a resale value of over $ 7 million), 400 kg of cocaine and six kilograms of heroin.
“Largest domestic methamphetamine seizure by DEA is a major blow to cartels [de la drogue], it’s also a huge victory ”for the people of Southern California, said Timothy Shea. “All studies show that methamphetamine addiction is accompanied by an increase in violent crime, including burglaries, assaults and murder,” he said.
According to anti-drug officers, Los Angeles and its region represent a platform through which Mexican traffickers move narcotics from across the border.