(NewsNation) — Federal officials announced the seizure of 300,000 kilos of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine, according to a press release on Wednesday.
The chemicals were shipped from China and intended to reach illegal drug labs controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. They were seized by Homeland Security Investigations agents at the Port of Houston.
The operation is the largest seizure of chemicals used to make methamphetamine by U.S. law enforcement agencies ever.
The chemicals could have been used to make nearly 190,000 kilos of methamphetamine, worth around $596 million.
The seizure is part of a larger directive by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that calls for the “total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” according to the release.