Huge haul of meth seized in Georgia

“This would feed hundreds and hundreds of addicts and destroy who knows how many lives, countless lives,’’ said Rodney Benson, with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s field office in Atlanta.

No one was in the home at the time of the raid, police said.

Authorities said they suspect a Mexican-based drug trafficking organization in the drugmaking operation, but said investigators have not determined what group was responsible.

Investigators said they arrested 33-year-old Jose Galvez-Vela of Weslaco, Texas, and charged him with trafficking in meth. It was unclear where he was arrested and whether he had a lawyer. Authorities said they are seeking others in the case as well.

The discovery underscored a growing trend of Mexican drug trafficking organizations smuggling methamphetamine in liquid form across the border with the United States to be converted into a crystal form for sale, Benson said.The liquid can be converted to crystal form within 48 hours, he added.

Investigators in hazmat suits used extreme caution as they removed the meth and highly flammable drugmaking chemicals from the house. It appeared that the house, set in a quiet, low- to middle-income subdivision, was used strictly for manufacturing meth, police said.