Mexican authorities made a major drug bust.
The Mexican Navy said it seized more than 19,000 pounds of methamphetamine that was stored inside tequila bottles at the port of Manzanillo, which is along the central western coast of Mexico.
Officials said the seizure was the result of an inspection of 960 boxes that were due to be exported.
The Mexican Navy says it has seized and destroyed approximately 114.3 tons of meth this year.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, meth found in the U.S. is typically produced in the U.S. or Mexico.
Meth is a highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system. Users typically smoke, snort or inject the drug.
Officials: US overdose deaths topped 100,000 In a year
Experts believe the top drivers of overdose deaths are the growing prevalence of deadly fentanyl in the illicit drug supply and the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overdoses involving meth nearly tripled from 2015 to 2019 among people ages 18-64.
"We are in the midst of an overdose crisis in the United States, and this tragic trajectory goes far beyond an opioid epidemic. In addition to heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine are becoming more dangerous due to contamination with highly potent fentanyl, and increases in higher risk use patterns such as multiple substance use and regular use," said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow.
Volkow added that public health officials need to approach drug treatment from a wider lens, looking at communities that are at the highest risk. She said that includes American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
