Agents seize nearly 3,000 pounds of meth hidden in celery at Georgia farmers market

Agents with the Atlanta Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration seized over 2,500 pounds of crystal meth concealed among boxes of celery in the cargo area of a truck during an enforcement operation at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Georgia last Thursday, the agency said.

The total weight of the crystal meth was 2,585 pounds, the DEA told USA TODAY in an emailed statement Tuesday, and the driver of the truck, identified as Jesus Martinez Martinez, was arrested. The wholesale value of the seizure is approximately $3.2 million, the DEA said.

“This is a significant and unbelievable amount of drugs to be shipped at one time and to a destination this far from the border,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, in the statement. “It also shows the confidence of the cartel behind this.”

"This is the largest meth seizure we've ever had here at DEA Atlanta, and the third largest seizure total this year," Murphy said at a news conference Monday. Murphy said the agency received a tip that led them to a tractor trailer that was coming across the Mexican border.

Tyler Harper, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said at the news conference that the celery was destroyed after the bust because it could have been contaminated by meth.

Other recent drug busts

A man in California was arrested last Thursday and charged on a federal criminal complaint stating he was connected to the attempted shipping of over 2,000 pounds of meth, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

Jing Tang Li, 32, from El Monte, California, was arrested charged with distribution of and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He is accused of having connections to the shipment that contained over a ton of methamphetamine, which was destined to ship to Australia, according to a press release.

“Dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine devastate our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. “We see the misery brought by highly addictive drugs on our streets every day. The massive amount of methamphetamine seized in this case shows how brazen drug traffickers have become and why it is imperative that we use our resources to hold these criminals responsible.” 

The drugs were sent out by a fake company and shipped in packages that were labeled as furniture, wheel hub testing equipment, a casting machine and carpets and textiles, according to The Associated Press.

Additionally, six men have been charged for being part of a "drug empire" that hid millions of dollars worth of meth and cocaine inside Bluetooth karaoke speakers and smuggled the narcotic-filled devices from California to Pennsylvania, state officials said.

The Byrne Drug Trafficking Organization shipped around $5 million in drugs over the past six months, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced last Wednesday during a news conference. Now its members face a slew of drug-related and corrupt organization charges, Schorn added.

State prosecutors allege Matthew James Byrne, 43, of Broomall, Delaware County, is the leader of the organization. Investigators learned that Byrne made numerous trips to Los Angeles, either once or twice a month throughout this year, to buy cocaine and meth to fund their organization, the Bucks County DA's office said in a news release.

Contributing: Julia Gomez and Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.