By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The DEA and tribal officials cracked down on methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico following an 18-month investigation, filing drug charges against 34 suspects, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports.
The sting dismantled there drug trafficking organizations and led to the seizure of more than 22 pounds of methamphetamine.
The investigation began after an increase in drug-related violent crime on the reservation of 4,000 people.
“Given the disproportionate negative impact that methamphetamine has on our tribal communities, the significance of the results of this investigation cannot be overstated,” U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said. “More than 75 percent of law enforcement agencies that work in Indian Country identify methamphetamine as the greatest drug threat faced by tribal communities.”
A whopping 40% of the violent crimes committed on the reservation involved meth, Martinez said.
