1 ton of meth, hidden in truckload of celery, seized from farmers market, DEA says

ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - Piles upon piles of methamphetamine trafficked across the Mexican border were seized in metro Atlanta, according to officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It’s the largest amount of meth ever seized by the DEA’s Atlanta Division, Robert Murphy, special agent in charge of the division, said at a press conference announcing the seizure Monday afternoon.

Murphy said it’s also the third-largest seizure of meth the DEA has made this year nationwide, “which is important to note, because we’re not on a border. Most of these kind of seizures that we have today occur on the border.”

Murphy said the bags of meth displayed at the press conference – over one ton, worth more than $3 million in wholesale value – were seized by DEA agents and their local law enforcement partners at the Atlanta State Farmers Market, located in Forest Park in Clayton County, on Thursday.

Murphy declined to specify the street value of the drugs.

He said the drugs were hidden in a truckload of celery. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said at the press conference that the celery was destroyed after the bust because it could have been contaminated by the meth.

“You may be asking, ‘Why is the Department of Agriculture involved in this?’” Harper said. “I think it’s important to talk about that. Crime is like water, and just like water, always looks for the easiest path to go to, to find its way through.”

He said in this case, the easy path for drug cartels was Georgia’s agriculture industry. He said his department’s law enforcement division will continue to work with federal, state and local partners to prevent drug traffickers from exploiting the state’s farmers.

Murphy said the drugs, “an unbelievable amount” to be shipped at one time, were intended for distribution across the Southeast.

Agents said this is proof that cartels in Mexico have a well-established foothold in Georgia. Murphy said the agency is working to identify which cartel was responsible.

Murphy said a suspect, identified as Mexican citizen Jesus Martinez, was arrested for allegedly bringing the drugs across the border.

“Our goal is to take down the whole cartel that’s responsible for this,” Murphy said. “This represents what I would call a confidence load, since this cartel is very confident in what they’ve been doing to send this much at one time. It suggests how powerful and how big this cartel is and obviously needs our attention further.”

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