DEA officials say there has been an increase in methamphetamine seizures in the region.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division announced that they have seen a three percent increase in methamphetamine seizures in one year. The Division, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, registered 817 pounds of seized methamphetamine in 2017 and collected 842.6 pounds in conjunction with state and local law enforcement investigations in 2018.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Darin Thimmesch says meth is becoming more and more accessible across the area. “We’ve seen an increase in meth in the Midwest as prices continue to go down and purity levels increase.”
With domestic methamphetamine production at its lowest levels since 2000, Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations have become the primary producer and supplier of low cost, high purity methamphetamine. The 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment notes that methamphetamine sampled through the DEA profiling program averages 96.9 percent purity while prices remain low and stable.
The drug can be swallowed, smoked, snorted or injected and has potent central nervous system stimulant properties. High doses of meth may result in death from stroke, heart attack or multiple organ problems caused by overheating.
“Meth is a highly addictive drug,” Thimmesch said. “It’s coming into the country at alarming rates and the West and Midwest regions of the country are being hit hardest. That being said, the DEA is working countless hours alongside our law enforcement partners to help take meth off the streets and out of our communities.”