Tarrant County Law Enforcement Seize 1,400 lbs of Methamphetamine Over 5 Weeks, Worth $16 Million
In a press conference held Thursday, November 12, Tarrant County authorities announced that over 1,400 pounds of liquid methamphetamine were seized in recent operations, totaling an estimated street value of $16 million.
According to Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, the drugs were obtained in two separate seizures over a five week span. The first operation began with a street-level seizure led detectives to a conversion lab, where liquid methamphetamine was being converted into crystal form.
A second operation began when sheriff’s deputies found a stolen vehicle parked outside of a business. Investigators then got a search warrant for the business, where they crystal methamphetamine.
DEA officials said the seizures had all the elements of a cartel operation, which targets areas like the DFW metroplex for its highway systems and closeness to Mexico.
The seized meth was considered 99% pure, according to DEA officials, speculating that the meth was likely produced in a lab in Mexico "in a high-quality situation" and then converted to liquid and smuggled into the United States. Once liquid meth arrives in the U.S., it is dried and crystallized into the form that is sold on the street.
Officials could not say how many arrests have been made, as detectives are still investigating the case through surveillance and undercover work.
Earlier this year, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office set a record with a 400-pound seizure of liquid meth. The combined seizures of this case were more than three times that amount.
Sheriff’s deputies worked with police departments from Dallas, Fort Worth, Mansfield and River Oaks, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration and Texas Department of Public Safety.
Source(s):
Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office
The Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/11/record-16-million-worth-of-meth-seized-in-tarrant-county-in-recent-weeks/
WFAA: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/16-million-in-meth-likely-tied-to-cartel-seized-in-texas-tarrant-county-authorities-say/287-2f424674-ccb0-45ac-a195-2e5c76c26af1