DEA warns of national methamphetamine comeback

As the opioid epidemic swells in the United States, there’s another deadly drug that’s making a comeback.

“We’re talking super labs,” said Former Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Kevin Hartmann. “Super labs that can produce multi hundred kilograms of methamphetamine.”

In 2005 Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act which regulated the sale of legal drugs, like Sudafed and cough suppressants, which were used to manufacture meth locally.

It worked, for a while. Officials say, it almost eliminated the production of meth in the U.S.

“That’s the good news,” said Hartmann. “The bad news is that these producers of meth ramped up operations in Mexico. And, now they have these super labs that provide the majority of meth to the United States.”

The drug enforcement administration says Meth seizures have increased 255 percent since 2012. Last year, agents in the Omaha Division took more than 1600 pounds of the synthetic drug off the streets.

Now, Hartmann is calling on Congress to grant officers more authority to intercept cartel communications.

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) says he believes the solution is to strengthen border security.

“That’s a combination of technology and drones and manpower,” said Thune. “Because one of the best ways to shut that down is to make sure it never gets to South Dakota in the first place.”

According to the DEA, methamphetamine is 71 percent cheaper than it was in 2005.