Tarrant County Sheriff Hosts Press Conference Highlighting Successful Drug Busts

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn hosted a press conference Thursday morning highlighting the teamwork between multiple agencies in two recent narcotics operations.

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team Investigators conducted joint operations with Fort Worth police, the Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Mansfield police, and River Oaks police.

These operations resulted in the seizure of crystal methamphetamine and liquid methamphetamine, the street value of which was approximately $16 million, officials said.

According to Sheriff Waybourn, nearly 1,500 pounds of pure methamphetamine were seized during the two narcotics operations.

Waybourn said the presence of methamphetamine in North Texas presents a "clear and present danger" to the public.

Special Agent Eduardo Chavez with the Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas Field Division went on to explain that methamphetamine is the top illicit drug threat in North Texas.

Approximately 15,000 pounds of methamphetamine have been seized in North Texas in the last 12 months, Chavez said.

According to Calvin Bond with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, these seizures and narcotics operations were made possible through great police work as well as the use of informants and surveillance.

Bond said he believes these seizures, which he described as "significant", to be related to drug cartels in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

According to officials at the press conference, the investigations relating to the two recent narcotics operations are still ongoing.