DEA: 1,600 pounds of meth found hidden in horse feed in Aldine

Federal agents say a Charriton Street home in Aldine was hiding about 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine inside horse feed, a haul that puts north Harris County at the center of a trafficking case with reach far beyond one neighborhood. Five people were taken into custody on state charges, and investigators said they also found a conversion lab inside the house.

The Drug Enforcement Administration later displayed the seizure inside its Houston drug vault, underscoring the size of the bust. Officials estimated the wholesale value at nearly $1.7 million, a figure that reflects not just the weight of the drugs but the disruption to a supply chain that investigators say would otherwise have moved into the local market and beyond.

Brian Leardo, the DEA special agent in charge of the Houston Division, said traffickers will use any concealment method they can, including disguising narcotics in ordinary commercial goods. In this case, horse feed gave the operation a layer of cover inside a residential street in northeast Houston. The DEA said that kind of deception is not unusual, because legitimate-looking shipments can help drugs blend into freight moving through the region.

The seizure also comes as federal agents warn that meth in circulation has become more potent. DEA laboratory reporting shows domestic meth purity has remained in the mid-90% range, with an average of 96.7% in the agency’s 2022 report, and about 88% of samples testing above 95% purity. Higher purity can mean a more addictive and more dangerous drug for users in Harris County and across the Houston area.

Leardo said Houston’s location makes it a transshipment hub because of its proximity to the border and its highway network, but he also said the city is not just a pass-through point. There is local consumption here, too, which means the impact is felt in neighborhoods from Aldine to surrounding north Harris County communities. The DEA Houston Division covers the Texas Gulf Coast, East Texas and South Texas, a scope that shows how regional the pressure has become.

The Aldine case lands amid a series of large meth investigations in the Houston area. In October 2025, authorities in Chambers County said they seized more than 400 kilograms, or 880 pounds, of meth at a Houston residence. A DEA press release in March also described a separate Houston-area case involving nearly 133 kilograms of actual meth. Investigators said the Charriton Street case remains active, with more arrests still possible.