AG William Barr, in Phoenix, discusses results of anti-meth operation

PHOENIX – U.S. Attorney General William Barr was in Arizona on Thursday to discuss the results of a federal operation to combat the distribution of methamphetamine in Phoenix and other cities.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has seized more than 28,500 pounds of the dangerous drug plus $43.3 million in drug proceeds and 284 guns during Operation Crystal Shield, according to the Department of Justice.

Crystal Shield, which focuses on U.S. cities that Mexican cartels have been using as transportation and distribution hubs, also resulted in more than 1,800 arrests through around 750 investigations in the first six months after being launched in February.

“Meth is a very dangerous and deadly drug. It ravages the body,” Barr said during a press conference at the Phoenix division offices of the DEA.

“I think we’ve all seen the before and after shots. Teeth fall out. Scabs on the face that the addicted person picks at. They look like walking zombies, and it destroys the health of the addicted person.”

U.S. Attorney General William Barr joined @DEAHQ Acting Administrator Shae for a press conference in PHX today where they shared the results of Operation Crystal Shield. A DEA Initiative combatting the transportation and distribution of methamphetamine in the U.S. @KTAR923 pic.twitter.com/sPmb9k5bXo

— Gabriel Gamiño, MA (@gaminogabriel) September 10, 2020

The drug also impacts users’ mental health, destroying their ability to control impulses and often leading to violence, Barr said.

Most of the meth made in Mexico, which has a high potency, comes into the U.S. through the hub cities, but it doesn’t stay there, Barr said.

“From there, it is broken down and distributed throughout the country and has now moved into states and areas and communities where we haven’t seen it before,” he said.

“So it is largely becoming, and has become, really, a national problem, and it’s devastating communities.”

The nine cities targeted by the operation — Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Diego and St. Louis — combined for 75% of the meth seized by the DEA in 2019, according to the Department of Justice.

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