Methamphetamine is on the rise, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The DEA's Omaha Division, which oversees Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, reports the amount of methamphetamine seized across in the first half of 2019 nearly eclipsed the total amount seized in all of 2018. Through June, authorities reportedly seized 1,437 lbs of meth across that region, with an estimated value of $9 million. That's compared to 1,639 lbs seized all of last year.
Steve Bell is an Assistant Special Agent with the DEA in Omaha and has seen firsthand how the drugs continue to flow into the United States through the southern border.
"They have these super labs in Mexico, which produce the methamphetamine that gets smuggled through the southern border," he said.
The meth made in Mexico is known for it's high purity and potency. It's also known for it's low price tag. It's a shift from the early 2000's when law enforcement saw more meth being made domestically.
In 2005, Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act which put a large dent into domestic operations.
"Mexican cartels identified that there's a large population in America that wants to consume meth," Bell said. "They found a way to make it cheaper, purer, and more potent. That's what gets sent to the United States."
Bell adds that while the number of domestic labs are down, they continue to see conversion labs across the midwest. These highly dangerous labs are used to secrete meth from a solution like gasoline or from a tequila bottle.
The fight against meth continues at a time where focus lies on the ongoing opioid epidemic across the U.S.
"We had tens of thousands of people dying each year and so law enforcement focuses their efforts on stopping heroin and fentanyl from coming in," he said. "That didn't stop the focus on cracking down on other drugs, but there's only a certain amount of resources out there. Law enforcement and the public can't lose sight of the fact there are other dangers like meth out there in our communities."
According to the DEA, today's methamphetamine is 71 percent cheaper than it was in 2005 and agents today are seizing loads in double and triple digit quanities.
Throught the first six months of 2019, Minnesota saw a 61 percent increase in the amount of meth seized compared to last year. From January through June this year, 925 lbs of meth was seized in Minnesota compared to 573 lbs during the same six month period in 2018.
It's a problem that in Bell's mind, can't be solved through solely making arrests. Rehabilitation, education, and law enforcement efforts will be the only way to combat the rise of methamphetamine.
"If we get addicts the help they need, then there won't be a market for meth in the U.S.," he said."The earlier we start educating kids about these drugs, the better. We see it every year where students start to see meth in elementary schools. If we combine rehabilitation and education with federal, state, local law enforcement partnerships, we'll continue taking down the highest level drug dealers not only in United States, but around the world.
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