Meth from Mexico a new problem in state

Five people in Putnam County appeared in court Tuesday after being arrested on drug trafficking charges. They were charged with importing meth made in “super labs” in Mexico.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the drug was moved across the Mexican border and into the United States, eventually making its way to Putnam County where it was distributed and sold in the upper Cumberland region.

“We’re ready for it, and I think that’s the one message that we want to send out with these arrests is that we have our eyes open and if you engage in this kind of activity we’re going to be out there looking for you,” TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson told WTVF-TV.

New state laws designed to make it harder to make methamphetamine went into effect this year. But officials said while the tougher laws have slowed the production of meth in Tennessee, they’ve seen an increase in the amount of meth coming in from out of state.

A three-year TBI investigation that led to the five arrests was called “Operation Meltdown.” Six police agencies and the district attorney’s office in Cookeville worked together to make the arrests.

Just last week, federal officials announced that Tennessee will receive a $16 million grant to help fight meth.