Mexican Drug Cartels Bringing Back Methamphetamine

Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 9, 2017 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News | Comments are off for this article

Methamphetamine is a drug that took the country by storm several years ago, but who’s popularity has appeared to be declining. Concerted efforts by law enforcement, state and federal governments and educators have reduced methamphetamine use throughout the country, but that is likely to change. The Mexican drug cartels have begun to set up super labs near the border and have started funneling in methamphetamine to towns all over the country.

When methamphetamine first made its presence known as an epidemic, the drug was mainly being produced in small labs in people’s homes or in remote locations. This is partly why the drug was so insidious, users could essentially make their own supply. Gathering ingredients that can easily be found around the home or purchased at a local hardware store, methamphetamine manufacturers began to distribute the drug to anyone looking for a high similar to cocaine.

In order to prevent at-home methamphetamine manufacturing, law makers quickly instituted laws on purchasing large amounts of certain ingredients vital for making meth. This, paired with an increased police presence, helped bring down the number of people addicted to the powerful drug.

However, while there is not as much methamphetamine being manufactured in the United States, the demand appears to have remained the same. In an attempt to capitalize on this, drug cartels have begun to manufacture the drug in extremely large quantities and smuggle methamphetamine into the United States where they have found a growing customer base with meth addiction back on the rise.

Perhaps what is most surprising about this new methamphetamine wave, is the destination of the smuggled drugs. Instead of going to places like New York, LA or Chicago, smugglers are focusing on states like Montana. The blue collar and seasonal workers that populate the area appear to be the targets of the cartel, and local law enforcement is struggling to keep up. “We’re just going to have to practice triage like an emergency room and take whatever happens to be the biggest problem at the time and deal with it. We’re just adding more and more issues here and no more resources at any level – treatment, prevention or law enforcement,” said Mark Long, chief of the state Department of Criminal Investigation Narcotics Bureau.