Atlanta, GA (DMN) – A significant quantity of methamphetamine was discovered concealed within a shipment of celery at a farmers market in Georgia, as reported by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to WSB-TV, the DEA’s Atlanta Division recently made a significant drug seizure, with over 2,000 pounds of drugs confiscated. This bust is not only the largest ever for the Atlanta Division but also ranks as the third-largest nationwide this year.
Federal officials revealed at an Aug. 12 news conference that a cartel is being accused of smuggling a record-breaking load across the border in a big rig. The intended destination for this shipment was the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, as reported by the station.
“This was contained in a cover load of celery … It was hiding in the celery,” DEA Special Agent In Charge Robert Murphy told reporters, according to WAGA. “Obviously, we threw away the celery. That didn’t make it to the store.”
On August 13, McClatchy News contacted the DEA Atlanta Division for additional information and is currently waiting for a response.
According to Murphy, the bust was a result of a collaborative effort by multiple agencies to stop the distribution of methamphetamine.
According to the source, DEA agents received information about a tractor-trailer that was bound for the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal officials have reported that a significant quantity of drugs, weighing over one ton, was intended to be distributed throughout the Southeast region, as stated by WANF.
Federal officials have announced the arrest of an individual allegedly involved in drug smuggling into the U.S. The DEA is actively working to determine the drug cartel behind the incident.
“This represents what I would call a confidence load since this cartel is very confident in what they’ve been doing to send this much at one time,” Murphy said, as reported by WANF.
“It suggests how powerful and how big this cartel is and obviously needs our attention further.”
Source: Miami Herald