Federal agents in West Palm Beach packed up 12 kilos, about 26 pounds, of pure crystal meth as 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, with cocaine prices high at $600 to $1,000 per ounce, pushing more users to meth as a cheaper alternative. An ounce of meth costs less than half that, ranging from $280 to $500. A meth lab was recently busted in Palm Beach County, and the surge is beginning to spread to counties in the Treasure Coast, though not yet to the same volume.
Jim and Adrienne Tichy run a halfway house called The Lodge at Delray Beach. They said methamphetamine is a whole new animal and that users are coming in younger and younger. According to a 2026 White House report, in some states overdose deaths involving meth have surpassed those from fentanyl. Bobbitt said agents are working aggressively to dismantle the organizations behind the surge. Adrienne Tichy said their facility works with life skills, information, and knowledge after treatment and detox, then gradually lets residents go into the world.