As communities struggle to address the rising use of heroin and other opioid narcotics, another familiar drug has continued to tighten its grip.

Figures from law enforcement and addiction treatment specialists show that methamphetamine remains the most commonly used hard drug in the region. Minnesota has experienced a 489 percent increase from 2009 to 2016 in meth seizures, according to the Department of Public Safety. And while 2009 marked a low point in levels for people seeking treatment, methamphetamine arrests and seizures have dramatically increased since then.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced the seizure of 487.7 pounds of meth in 2016, more than double the 230.3 pounds seized in 2015. In 2012, just 112.6 pounds of meth were confiscated by law enforcement in Minnesota.

Law enforcement officials say methamphetamine currently flowing into the Upper Midwest comes largely from Mexican cartels.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety gang and drug coordinator Brian Marquart said that around 2007, cartels figured out a way to mass produce high-quality methamphetamine.

That accounts for some of “the massive influx of methamphetamine we’re seeing across the country, including in North Dakota and Minnesota,” he said.

User-quantity level methamphetamine now ranges from 70 to 80 percent pure, Marquart said. In the early 2000s when local small-batch meth labs were more common, the quality of the product was high, but the quantity was relatively low.

“Now we are seeing very high quality, into the 80th percentile at the user level,” he said.

“A few years ago, a large seizure coming into this state would have been 3 to 5 pounds,” Marquart said. “Now we are seeing seizures of 30, 50, 70, even 100 pounds of methamphetamine either coming into this state or bound for Minnesota and North Dakota.” Related Articles St. Paul PD highlights surveillance photos of looting suspects, seeks tips

Maplewood police asking for help in fatal pedestrian hit-and-run Saturday night

Man pleads guilty to poaching black bear on northern Minnesota reservation

Oakdale man sentenced to 30 years for death of West St. Paul father shot as 2-year-old son slept beside him

Therapy dog-in training stolen in St. Paul found, reunited with owners

The user base in the region is very high now, Marquart said. Both states are seeing higher numbers of people seeking treatment.

“Methamphetamine crosses all socioeconomic boundaries,” Marquart said.

Meth at the street level is typically purchased in grams, with dosage rates at about one-tenth of a gram. Marquart said a gram in Minnesota costs about $100. For wholesalers of the drug, the price has dropped considerably, opening up the potential for even greater profits.

“Four or five years ago it was around $20,000 per pound and now it’s down to about $5,000 per pound,” he said.

The drug’s affordability contributes to its growing use rates, experts said. It’s also widely available in most areas.

“It is everywhere,” Marquart said. “It is in small, rural towns to the large metropolitan areas.”

“Truthfully, if people want to use it, they can find it,” Davis said.

Bulk methamphetamine that comes into Minnesota largely comes from Mexico through the southwest border. The drug is transported by Mexican drug cartels in commercial and personal vehicles, Marquart said. From the Twin Cities, the drug is distributed throughout the state and into neighboring states.

RELATED: Minnesota Patrol adds three more K-9s to sniff out drugs

Minnesota’s violent crime task forces prioritize targeting mid- to upper-level dealers operating in the state in an attempt to disrupt the flow of meth in the region.

“We continue to work with our partners for treatment and education,” Marquart said. “We can’t do this alone. We need the public’s help.”

While arrests and confiscations of methamphetamine continue to rise, so have admissions to addiction treatment centers for people battling dependency.

“What we are seeing in the data is alarming,” Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper said in a release. “Methamphetamine use is now second only to alcohol for treatment admissions in Minnesota. The good news is: Treatment works. By strengthening and improving our treatment system, more people will get the help they need when they need it.” Related Articles Sunday coronavirus update: 2 new MN deaths, 1,318 new cases, breaking 90,000 cases in state

West Coast fires spark hazy skies, smoky smells and vibrant sunsets in Minnesota and beyond

As memories of George Floyd fade, activists make sure his legacy does not

Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announces immediate retirement

Coronavirus Saturday update: 934 new COVID-19 cases, 13 more deaths

Residential treatment even for the first 24 to 48 hours can have a big impact on breaking the physical and psychological withdrawal users experience, said Deb Davis, an assistant director at Northeast Human Service Center in Grand Forks, N.D.

Over time, meth breaks down the body. Teeth rot. Users get little sleep and often have very poor nutrition, Davis said.

Prolonged amphetamine drug usage causes people to lose the ability to organically experience pleasure, Davis said. Even if someone has a period of sobriety, they may end up trying to use again, just to get the feeling back.

“They just think they can do it one last time,” Davis said.

Success for people in treatment is relative. Davis said many people tend to look at someone who has four months of sobriety and relapses as a failure, but she believes that is misguided. Each attempt at sobriety could be the time it sticks for good.

“We don’t look at things likes succes and failure as black and white,” Davis said.