Another open border debacle
A massive drug-trafficking ring circulated methamphetamine around the country via buses, vehicles disguised as satellite TV trucks and complex, electronically triggered hiding spots inside cars, authorities said Thursday.
The drug trade began in Mexico, where methamphetamine can be made more easily than in the U.S., said Jane Duke, federal prosecutor for the eastern district of Arkansas. Many U.S. states, including Arkansas, regulate the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, ingredients found in cold medicine that can be used in bulk to make meth.
A three-year investigation – dubbed “Tienda Hielo” or “Ice Store” – into the drug ring has led to about 65 arrests and the seizure of more than 100 pounds of meth, which would have a street value of about $11 million, Duke said. Local, state and federal authorities announced the drug bust Thursday.
According to Duke, the drug was manufactured in Mexico, then brought over the border into San Diego. From there, couriers would transport the drugs throughout the country, sometimes carried on passenger buses cross-country, other times in so-called “clone trucks,” which are made to look like commercial trucks delivering soft drinks or food, said Lt. Keith Eremea of the Arkansas State Police.
Continue…