Dallas among 8 cities DEA says traffickers use as major hubs to distribute meth in US

DALLAS - The Drug Enforcement Administration says Dallas is one of the top cities in the country where meth is distributed.

The agency has noted a sharp increase in meth seizures and arrests.

And now, an extra $1 million will be given to specifically get the powerful and addictive drug off the streets.

The DEA says methamphetamine, including crystal meth, is a growing problem, and is now listing Dallas as one of eight major transportation hubs for the drug in the United States.

"You feel like you can conquer the world,” said Alison Watros, with Windhaven House of Origins Behavioral Health Care.

Watros, a former meth addict, says she is 20-years clean.

She said crystal meth first made her feel invincible, but then, it nearly destroyed her life.

“If I didn't have it, I was terrible," she recalled.

She now runs a home that treats women fighting addiction, and says it's so easy to get, it'll shock you who's using it. She says she’s seen millionaires and soccer moms dealing with this problem.

"We've seen over a 400 percent increase in seizures of methamphetamine in this area since 2018-2019," explained Eduardo Chavez, special agent in charge DEA Dallas Field Division.

The DEA Dallas Field Division announced Thursday it’s one of eight divisions across the country receiving a chunk of $1 million in federal funding to target meth traffickers.

It'll be working more closely with DPS and local prosecutors to find out who's bringing meth to North Texas, in hopes those traffickers lead them to their boss.

"Perhaps a state trooper who pulls someone over with a smaller amount knows we're doing this operation and reaches out to say, ‘Hey, is this something that you guys can continue to develop?’" Chavez added.

The DEA said most meth comes from Mexico, and DFW's highway system allows traffickers to get to many different areas quickly.

Authorities said traffickers are becoming increasingly sneaky, and some are disguising shipments of meth in shipments of salt.

Now, the DEA says it's even being shipped from Mexico in liquid form and later crystalized in the U.S.

"And so what we've seen is a lot of this liquid meth coming in gas tanks, we've seen it coming in bottles of soda, tequila, even gallons of paint," Chavez explained.

Watros said that for the sake of the addicts she works with, she hopes DEA's latest initiative will help save lives.