Federal agents in South Florida have seized more than 1,200 pounds of crystal meth with a street value of more than $12 million.
It goes down in history as the largest seizure of meth in the Miami-Dade County area.
Pictures of the seizure were not immediately released to the public.
Six people, including the leader of a Mexican drug cartel, were taken into federal custody. Agents say the narcotics came into the country across the Mexico-Texas border and were then trucked to Miami.
Agents said the first shipment was hidden in concrete tiles. The second shipment was submerged in five gallon buckets of house paint and sealant.
Don Garrett, the assistant special agent in charge at the Miami DEA office, was part of the team that arrested the suspects and prevented the 1,200 pounds of meth from being sold on the streets in South Florida. He says seizing that amount of meth not only prevented potential drug overdoses, but may have also prevented gun violence.
“We’re dealing with individuals that have a tendency for a high rate of violence as well as that violence falling back into our communities at the state and local levels,” Garrett said.
Garrett said he and other agents are accustomed to uncovering crystal meth smuggled inside various objects such as concrete and even produce.
“This is the first time we’ve seen methamphetamine smuggled in five-gallon buckets of sealant,” Garrett said.
Four of the suspects facing drug charges were arrested in South Florida. The other two suspects were arrested in Guatemala and will be extradited to Florida to face prosecution.