3 tons of key methamphetamine ingredient seized at LAX

3 tons of key methamphetamine ingredient seized at LAX

May 1, 2012 | 11:52am

Federal agents at LAX seized nearly 3 tons of a key ingredient of methamphetamine that was bound for central Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

The two shipments of methylamine chloride, a controlled substance used in the manufacture of pesticides, solvents and pharmaceutical products, originated in China. They were accurately labeled but lacked the required paperwork from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

“It raised a bunch of red flags,” said Jaime Ruiz, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “It was huge. They didn’t have any permits.”

Testing confirmed the contents of the 80 plastic bags stacked on pallets, which arrived in LAX air cargo April 19 and 23. If used to make meth, it had a street value of $40 million, authorities said.

Border agents are seeing more air and sea shipments of the chemical, as opposed to land smuggling.

“Now it seems like the cartels are using other methods,” said Ruiz, adding that the 5,700-pound seizure of methylamine chloride is “one of the biggest so far out of LAX.”

Corrosive and flammable, the white powdery substance is also used to make the drug ecstasy.

3 tons of key methamphetamine ingredient seized at LAX - latimes.com

CBP in Los Angeles Seizes $40 Million in Meth Chemicals Bound for Mexico

CBP Officers at LAX seized 5,700 Pounds of Methamphetamine Precursor

(Tuesday, May 01, 2012)
Los Angeles — U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) aggressive enforcement posture against Mexican drug trafficking organizations continue bringing record-breaking drugs seizures beyond the land border, at U.S. airports and seaports.

CBP officers at an air cargo consignment facility of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) seized two shipments of 80 bags, containing 5,700 pounds of methylamine chloride, a known chemical that is used as a precursor to methamphetamine. If used to make methamphetamine, the street value of this seizure is $40 million.

The shipments arrived from China on April 19 and 23, with a final destination in central Mexico. Samples of the white powdery chemical were positively identified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as methylamine chloride, a List 1 controlled substance.

“Once again, we take enormous pride in the exceptional caliber of our officers in intercepting these drug precursors from Asia and preventing their reaching the cartels in Mexico,” said Todd C. Owen, CBP Director of Field Operations, Los Angeles. “The alertness and attention to duty is vital to the mission of CBP in protecting the homeland from all harm, including that of dangerous drugs.”

Methylamine chloride is a corrosive, flammable, strong-odor chemical. In one pathway, it is essential to manufacture methamphetamine and ecstasy. Methylamine chloride is a List 1 controlled substance by the DEA with many legitimate industrial applications in pesticides, solvents and pharmaceutical products.

Suppliers of these products are subject to regulations and control measures. The Controlled Substances Act establishes parameters and strict rules on the manufacture, importation, use and distribution of controlled substances.

On a typical day in fiscal year 2011, CBP seized 13,717 pounds of drugs nationwide.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Department of Homeland Security

CBP in Los Angeles Seizes $40 Million in Meth Chemicals Bound for Mexico - CBP.gov