DEA says Meth is 'No. 1 threat' across metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — Investigators said they recovered nearly $2 million in pure crystal meth hidden inside Disney character figurines.

It was all intercepted before the drugs could be sold in the metro area.

[PHOTOS: 500 pounds of meth found inside Disney figurines]

DEA agents showed Channel 2's Carl Willis the collection of figurines that contain about 500 pounds of meth.

Despite seizing the drugs, agents told Willis there is still a lot of work left to be done.

[READ: $2M worth of meth hidden inside Disney figurines]

“It was going to be consumed here in metro Atlanta. Everybody talks about the opioid crisis, and there is now doubt about that crisis, but we are by far our number one threat is methamphetamine in this region,” the DEA told Willis.

Special Agent Robert Murphy says the wax molded, hand-painted characters shipped over in an 18-wheeler are the work of a Mexican cartel, and show just how far or how low they'll go to get the product into the area.

As far as it being even more of a threat than opioids in the metro, Murphy explains why meth has its grip on so many.

"It's cheap and it's very effective. And the high lasts a long time and it's very addictive," Murphy said.

While the DEA celebrates the haul, they know the next shipment may already be loaded and rolling to a neighborhood near you.

"This put a hurting but we're not naive to think that they're not going to send another load across," Murphy said.

Cox Media Group