America's Dirty Drug Officers from the Central Valley Methamphetamine Task Force High Intensity Drug Traffic Area (HIDTA) wear chemical suits to sift through the lab waste dumped in an orchard by meth producers. Since 2000, authorities estimate that ove 5,000,000 pounds of toxic waste from meth labs has been dumped into the fertile soil in California's Central Valley. The Central Valley, considered the meth capitol of America, is populated with methamphetamine super labs that produce large amounts of meth for nationwide distribution. These super labs are operated by Mexican drug-trafficking organizations, which import meth-making substances from Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. Then they move their supplies, labor and the finished product across the border into the Golden State.
Picture (c) MARK ALLEN JOHNSON/ZUMA Press