ATLANTA (Atlanta News First) – Drug Enforcement Administration officials say large quantities of methamphetamine smuggled across the Mexican border have been seized in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

It is the largest amount of meth the DEA’s Atlanta division has ever seized, said Robert Murphy, special agent in charge of the division, at a press conference Monday afternoon announcing the seizure.

Murphy said it was also the third-largest meth seizure the DEA has made nationwide this year, “which is important to know because we’re not on a border. Most of these seizures we have today are happening at the border.”

Murphy said the bags of meth on display at the news conference – over a ton, worth more than $3 million wholesale – were seized Thursday by DEA agents and their local law enforcement partners at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park in Clayton County.

Murphy declined to comment on the street value of the drugs.

He said the drugs were hidden in a truckload of celery. Georgia Agriculture Secretary Tyler Harper said at the press conference that the celery was destroyed after the raid because it may have been contaminated with meth.

“You may be wondering, ‘Why is the Department of Agriculture involved here?'” Harper said. “I think it’s important to talk about it. Crime is like water, and just like water, it always looks for the easiest way to find its way.”

He said in this case, Georgia agriculture was the easiest route for drug cartels. He said his department’s law enforcement division will continue to work with federal, state and local partners to prevent drug traffickers from exploiting the state’s farmers.

Murphy said the drugs – an “incredible amount” for a one-time shipment – were intended for distribution throughout the Southeast.

Agents said this is evidence that Mexican cartels are entrenched in Georgia. Murphy said the agency is working to determine which cartel is responsible.

Murphy said a suspect, identified as Mexican national Jesus Martinez, was arrested for allegedly smuggling the drugs across the border.

“Our goal is to eliminate the entire cartel responsible for this,” Murphy said. “This is what I would call a confidence load, because this cartel is very confident in what they did to ship so much at once. It shows how powerful and how large this cartel is, and it obviously needs our continued attention.”

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