GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Wednesday, members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) addressed the trafficking of methamphetamine across Michigan.
The DEA said the national drug issue impacts every community, explaining there are no specific zip codes, races, genders or ages that are impacted.
The agency also said some of Michigan's biggest threats are prescription drugs, cocaine and heroin. However, they said there are still many "meth" investigations in the state as well.
Another issue they've found is dealers mixing different drugs, resulting in a lot of accidental deaths.
DEA Public Information Officer Brian McNeil said the drug organizations are what's known as "poly drug," which means they traffic all types of drugs.
"There isn't any quality control," McNeil continued. "There's no one separating their marijuana from their cocaine from their fentanyl. So we're seeing accidental cross-contamination. So one-time use can absolutely be deadly."
McNeil also said they find these drugs in a variety of places.
"Agents aren't just finding drug labs in back woods, but also along highways, including I-94," said McNeil. "They've also intercepted fentanyl and meth in the mail and even at airports."
McNeil said while the end goal is of course to cut off drug pipelines at the source, catching people on the street with smaller amounts can help them get there.
"A couple ounces of methamphetamine can easily lead to following that trail of breadcrumbs to get to those high-level dealers that are bringing it in," McNeil said.
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