It was a big week for crime in Houston, Texas. After a major sex-trafficking bust with ties to cartels, a major drug bust went down in the city, too, uncovering about $2 million of street value methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stormed a North Houston duplex that was housing the meth conversion lab operation on Tuesday. Inside, law enforcement discovered 80 gallons of liquid meth and another 31 kilograms of meth. This would equate to about 400 pounds worth of drugs, which could net about $2 million according to the DEA.
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The aftermath also saw two people associated with a Mexican drug cartel arrested for their connection to the operation. The two men, both in their 30s, are charged with intention to deliver over 400 grams of meth.
The DEA has been making major strides in shutting down meth labs this year. Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeux said this was the 25th lab they’ve unearthed in Houston alone. Earlier this year, a local drug dealer was sent to jail after possessing 5,000 grams of the drug. There was even a high school teacher in the area that was busted for trafficking meth.
“Those labs are like ticking bombs, they can explode any second, any minute and kill innocent people,” Comeaux said according to Houston Public Media.
Texas, and Houston in particular, is a major hub for the smuggling of methamphetamines due to its proximity to the border. A report by Newsweek earlier this year also listed Texas behind California for the most meth users in the country.
“Meth is eating everybody’s lunch and nobody’s talking about it. Meth is crawling up on everybody,” Peter Stout, the president and chief executive officer of the Houston Forensic Science Center, told the Texas Tribune in 2023. “Meth fatalities are way up even if you look at the Texas numbers.”
Texas lawmakers are reportedly working on legislation to combat the rise. Currently, possession of less than 1 gram in the state is punishable up to two years. On the other end of the spectrum, 400 grams or higher is a minimum 20 years with the potential for life in prison.