15 Tons of Meth Seized in Mexico

Mexican authorities have busted a meth superlab and seized a staggering amount of pure methamphetamine—15 tons, more than double the amount of all meth seizures made at the border last year, and more than 100 times the biggest-ever meth bust in the USA. The sheer size of the bust—the drugs have an estimated street value of $4 billion—has alarmed experts, who believe Mexico's cartels are producing more meth than ever, and have moved beyond the US to supply users around the world, the New York Times notes.

"The big thing it shows is the sheer capacity that these superlabs have in Mexico," a DEA spokesman says. “When we see one lab with the capability to produce such a mass tonnage of meth, it begs a question: What else is out there?” Authorities believe at least a dozen people were employed at the lab on a ranch outside Guadalajara, which was equipped with modern facilities. The meth seized amounted to 13 million doses, but experts warn that even a seizure this big will do little to alter demand for the drug. (More Mexico stories.)