America's new meth crisis: DEA warns seizures have doubled in a decade, as cheap supplies pour in from Mexico amid fears the crisis will hit them as hard as the fentanyl epidemic
- Seizures of meth have more than doubled since 2010 and related deaths trebled
- Mexican drug suppliers are said to be pushing more of it towards the Northeast
- Officials fear it will follow the opioid fentanyl in causing a deadly drugs crisis
Methamphetamine is pouring into the United States and becoming cheap and easy to obtain, officials believe, amid fears it will follow fentanyl in causing a deadly drugs crisis.
Seizures of the lab-manufactured stimulant have more than doubled since 2010 and deaths involving it have trebled, according to reports.
Mexican drug suppliers are pushing more of the drug into the U.S. to compete with South American cocaine producers, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The rising meth supply has affected New England and the Northeast, where drugs officials declared a growing threat in New Jersey last month.
Methamphetamine (stock photo) is pouring into the United States and becoming cheap and easy to obtain, officials believe
Jon DeLena, of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England office, said: 'Everybody's biggest fear is what's it going to look like if meth hits us like fentanyl did.'
There were reportedly 347,807 meth seizures sent to labs by law enforcement in 2017, up 118 per cent since 2010.
In the most recent figures for meth-related deaths, in 2016, the figure had risen to more than 6,700, over three times greater than that in 2011.
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Drugs officials also believe meth has become a popular substance to help combat heroin withdrawal symptoms.
'Methamphetamine is readily available, inexpensive, and provides the user with a high that can last more than 24 hours,' the DEA said last month.
'These factors appeal to heroin users who are seeking relief from withdrawal symptoms and functioning heroin users who need to get through the work week without yielding to withdrawal symptoms.
'Another factor that makes methamphetamine appealing is the low price. Typically, a drug with a high purity results in a high price.
Last month Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted 350 packages of methamphetamine (pictured) inside a truck carrying frozen strawberries
'The opposite is true for methamphetamine. Since 2009, as the purity of the drug has risen the price has continued to drop.'
Fentanyl, which is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, has helped to spark the deadly opioid crisis in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a recent report that fentanyl is now the drug most often involved in fatal overdoses across the country.
Last month Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted nearly $13million worth of methamphetamine inside a truck carrying frozen strawberries.
Officers discovered 350 packages concealed within the trailer and seized 906 pounds (411 kilograms) of meth.
The 42-year-old man driving the truck at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility in Texas was arrested.
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