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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Border Patrol makes methamphetamine bust
Published March 15, 2006
Nearly 40 pounds of methamphetamine was seized Tuesday after border patrol agents encountered a suspicious vehicle.
According to a prepared statement from the Customs and Border Protection Del Rio Sector Public Affairs Office, agents encountered the pickup truck north of Del Rio and an ensuing search resulted in the seizure of about 38 pounds of methamphetamine.
The statement also says that this is the largest seizure of methamphetamine on record by Del Rio Sector agents, and that the driver, drug and pickup truck were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Ray Dalessio, a spokesman for the DEA, said that seizures of this size are “few and far between” in the Del Rio area, but adds that Mexico is a significant source for meth to be obtained and then transported all across the United States.
Dalessio said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon that the amount seized and the method used to transport the drug is not uncommon in the U.S., but is rarely seen in the Del Rio area.
Law enforcement and prosecuting agencies handling the case would not release any more information into the seizure citing an ongoing investigation into the matter.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Web site, www.nida.nih.gov, methamphetamine is a strongly addictive stimulant often referred to as “speed,” “meth” and “chalk.”
The site says that methamphetamine releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. Over time, methamphetamine appears to cause reduced levels of dopamine, which can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson’s disease, a severe movement disorder, according to NIDA.
A 2003 survey titled the “National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” also available at the NIDA site, states that 12.3 million Americans, or 5.2 percent of the population, age 12 and older had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes.
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