DEA, state and local agents seize over 800 pounds of meth in three states, arrest 375 in seven-month investigation

DEA map shows location of agents and amounts of methamphetamine and arrests in each state.

If you were looking for proof that methamphetamine has resurged in Central Appalachia and adjoining regions, here it is. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week that more than 800 pounds of meth were seized 375 arrests made in "Operation Crystal Mountain," a seven-month investigation in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

DEA said 235 people had been arrested on federal drug-related charges since January, and another 140 on state-level charges. "The operation also included the seizure of more than $800,000, 52 firearms and significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs," reports Hayes Hickman of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

"Several large swaths of the U.S. see meth as their primary drug threat," D. Christopher Evans, special agent in charge of the DEA Louisville office, said in a news release. "The majority of methamphetamine in the U.S. is produced in Mexico and trafficked by Mexican DTOs (drug trafficking organizations). However, the DEA continues to work to disrupt and dismantle all components of both foreign and domestic organizations which produce and traffic methamphetamine."