Advertisement $1M worth of crystal meth seized in Hamilton County Authorities report largest meth bust in state of Ohio Share Shares Copy Link Copy

For the past several days, the major buzz in Cincinnati has been about the city's heroin crisis.Now, based on a huge seizure of crystal methamphetamine, it's clear Southwest Ohio has yet another drug problem.Watch this storyThe Hamilton County sheriff and his staff announced the largest-ever seizure of crystal meth in the state of Ohio on Wednesday.Sheriff Jim Neil said more than 16 pounds of crystal meth were seized in Hamilton County.Watch the full news conference"This stuff comes from a super lab in Mexico," Neil said.That equates to about $125-$150 per gram. A gram is about the weight of a sugar packet, Neil said.Neil said 19-year-old Arturo Talavera, 25-year-old Rafael Ayala, and 42-year-old Kimberly Jane Johnson, all from Atlanta, drove the meth up I-75 to a hotel near Sharonville.Agents with the Regional Narcotics Unit arrested the trio after they made the drive from Atlanta and delivered the drugs, the result of a lengthy undercover operation."This stuff would have gone into not only Ohio but Indiana, Kentucky," Neil said.He says the 16.5 pounds of crystal meth, with an estimated street value of $1 million, represent the biggest seizure of the drug ever in the Buckeye State.The crystal meth-related arrests come one day after deputies seized two pounds of heroin from two men, 27-year-old Pablo Dominguez, of Ross, New York, and 33-year-old Clemente Quezada, of Butler County.Neil said it's unclear if those two men have any connection to the recent overdose spike in Cincinnati.He's just glad a total of more than 18 pounds of highly addictive drugs will not make it to the city's streets."The good news is that we, in two days, have gotten 18 pounds of some serious drugs off the street and saved local lives," Neil said. "This stuff is destroying the fabric of our communities and our families."When it comes to crystal meth Hamilton County's Chief Deputy Mark Schoonover said the latest research shows only around 5 percent of users are able to stop using the drug once they start.Schoonover also said it's being used by younger crowds, often in suburbs of Cincinnati.The appearance of crystal meth in Southwest Ohio should not come as a major surprise.Last October, FBI Director James Comey discussed the drug's movement during a news conference at the bureau's field office in Cincinnati."There's another tidal wave coming to you which is methamphetamine," Comey said at the time. "I've been told that some heroin traffickers are showing up with free meth for their customers. Again, it's an evil business, but it's a business. You gain market share by giving people freebies. So I think it is, if not already here, it's very close to coming."