Paul Rozario is an assistant special agent for the DEA. He says that methamphetamine is the second most wanted illegal drug in America, second only to marijuana. "Meth is a huge problem here, as it is across the country.” He described it as being an appealing drug because it can be taken orally, snorted, smoked and injected.
Some homemade labs have been shut down ever since federal and state regulations started monitoring in most places the purchasing of pseudoephedrine, a common cold medicine. Without that ingredient it became a little harder, though not impossible, to make meth.
The good news is that the law enforcement agencies from Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City worked together to seize the largest amount of meth that has ever been seized in Nevada. 208 pounds of the drug were displayed at a news conference on July 14, 2011 and 4 pounds of heroin were also seized. The drugs have a street value of $5.7 million. The police also seized $280,000 in cash, six guns and nine vehicles which have been used for drug trafficking.
Nine people were arrested, eight of whom were “undocumented immigrants.” If they are ultimately found guilty, the illegal immigrants likely will serve their time in the United States before they are deported, Rivera said. Law enforcement officials see this bust as doing a good amount of damage to the drug trafficking in the area."There will be a noticeable difference in the amount of drugs on our streets," said Las Vegas police spokesman Jacinto Rivera. The previous record for pounds of meth captured was 70 pounds.
The drug traffickers were a part of the Zaragoza-Ramos group, and the leader is known as Cavadas. Cavadas is known to maintain houses in the Las Vegas valley where he stores meth and uses runners as his sales force. Police found 40 pounds of meth in the Zaragoza-Ramos home and when they stopped one person, a Ms. Torres, from leaving there, she was found with $270,000 on her from delivering the shipment.
Paul Rozario said that they are seeing more and more of the drug trafficking moving away from the cities into the rural areas. Not a good sign.
