CLEVELAND — Methamphetamine is making a comeback, and law enforcement is concerned about the troubling trend. DEA Agents across the state seized 150 pounds of the drug in multiple drug operations last week alone.
“These are quantities typically seen at the border and we’re seeing it in Ohio," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin.
Once overshadowed by the opioid epidemic and heroin, meth is back in the spotlight.
“We know the Mexican drug cartels have super labs producing thousands of pounds of meth and flooding our markets,” said Martin.
In Lake County, Pat Hengst, Director of the Lake County Narcotics Agency estimated in 2020, methamphetamine seizures were up between 30 and 40 percent. “We seem to be coming across meth a lot more frequently,” said Hengst.
But there is another potential problem. “One of the concerning things we are seeing is meth being mixed with fentanyl; that’s a deadly combination,” explained Martin.
That mix now has the attention of law enforcement after both meth and fentanyl were seized last week. “One of the organizations was also transporting multiple kilograms of fentanyl with the meth, which is probably an indicator that at some point that was going to be mixed together in the U.S,” said Martin.
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