GA Department of Agriculture cracking down on drug smuggling in produce

ATLANTA, Ga. (WJBF) – There’s a renewed push to crack down on fentanyl, meth, marijuana and other drugs from making its way into Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Commissioner Tyler Harper reinstated a law enforcement division within the agency back in 2023. He says the law enforcement division can track for drugs like fentanyl, opioid and others that can be tracked before they hit the market.

“It is known that meth, fentanyl and high grade marijuana across the state and that’s what we are trying to combat,” said Harlan Proveaux, Director of Law Enforcement, Georgia Department of Agriculture.

An unusual way to traffic drugs  — through produce at a supermarket. That’s what agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Georgia Department of Agriculture busted recently in Atlanta.

“It was packed in celery — it’s not only illegal drugs but the contamination of food supply and our job and finding those drug is a great concern,” said Proveaux.

Investigators confiscated 1100 kilograms of meth at celery at an Atlanta Farmers Market valued at $3 million.

“We had a case in pierce county  with a seizure of $24 million of marijuana that was manufactured by Chinese nationals,” said Proveaux.

Investigators along with the district attorney office say drugs were smuggled across the border from Mexico and worked with state partners and local agencies to crack down on the drug traffickers.

“We don’t care if you are from Georgia or Mexico – if you utilize agriculture to bring in to this state and our community any type of illicit drugs, we’re going to be looking for you,” said Proveaux.

The Department of Agriculture says its a state wide problem and continues to exist because it boils down to organized crime, money and a demand for drugs.

The Department of Agriculture says teaching young people about the dangers of drugs, death and addiction is the best way to reduce the opioid crisis in the state as well as reporting any type of suspicious behavior or packages to authorities.

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