Federal agents packed up 12 kilos, about 26 pounds, of pure crystal meth inside the DEA's West Palm Beach office, part of a larger haul of about 54 kilos, nearly 120 pounds, pulled off Palm Beach County streets in just two days. One seizure was laced with deadly fentanyl. Special Agent Kevin Bobbitt said the scale of what agents are seeing is unlike anything he has encountered in South Florida. Bobbitt said the surge is tied directly to economics. As cocaine prices are high, with an ounce now selling for $600 to $1,000, more users are turning to meth as a cheaper alternative. An ounce of meth can cost less than half that, ranging from $280 to $500.
The problem is not limited to trafficking. Bobbitt said a meth lab was recently busted in Palm Beach County, and the surge is beginning to spread beyond the county's borders. Bobbitt said agents see it up in the counties in the Treasure Coast as well, though not to this volume yet. Jim and Adrienne Tichy run a halfway house called The Lodge at Delray Beach. They have witnessed the surge in meth firsthand and its devastating consequences. According to a 2026 White House report, in some states overdose deaths involving meth have surpassed those from fentanyl.