Introducing Operation Meth Merchant

"Operation Meth Merchant" is the name given by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to their latest effort in the federal government's crack down on communities of color as part of this country's "War on Drugs".  In the summer of 2005 in northwest Georgia, a dozen, mostly white, English-speaking informants convicted of possessing, producing, and selling an illegal drug called methamphetamine ("meth") were promised money and/or reductions in their prison sentences if they assisted with successful prosecutions of store clerks from whom they bought the ingredients to create meth.

The racial targeting of South Asians and prosecutorial blunders in this operation are outrageous. Even though three quarters of convenience store owners in the area are white, the prosecutions and informants specifically targeted the Indian community. Forty-four of the forty-nine people indicted are South Asian, and thirty-three of them have the last name Patel. At least one of these confidential informants has a history of fraud convictions. Several cases have been dropped because an informant obviously misidentified the store clerks.

"The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) either targeted these stores or they're just incompetent," said Dan Horowitz de Garcia, an organizer with Communities United for Action, Power & Justice, a state criminal justice coalition. "During this time, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Costco all were selling charcoal and cold medicine in large quantities. It's clear the agency wasn't trying to stop meth production - they were trying to get easy convictions."

The store clerks and shop owners, many of whom do not speak fluent English, were indicted for allegedly knowing that the products they were selling would be used to create meth. Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made using everyday, legal household products such as Sudafed, Tylenol Cold capsules, and Max Brand Pseudo 60s. These medicines are legal, over-the-counter products that are bought all over the country.

Those indicted are not only facing up to 25 years in prison, forfeiture of their stores and fines of up to $250,000, they are likely to be deported as well. U.S. immigration laws allow deportation of people convicted of drug-related crimes, despite their ties to the community, American-born children with U.S. citizenship, or long-time residency in this country. Based on questionable evidence, these prosecutions are tearing families apart and doing nothing to stop the meth problem in Georgia. "My mom, wife, and everybody are just crying all day long", said one of the merchants affected. "I cannot even sleep. I have been on house arrest for 7 months. I feel so terrible.... I don't have the income to pay all these [fines].... They just hate us."