DEA: 7 Mexican nationals arrested in major drug bust

MILTON, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Federal authorities arrested seven suspects after drug busts in six metro Atlanta counties Saturday.  

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, agents served several search warrants at a home on Mountain Road in Milton and on property off Hearn Road in Ellenwood. They discovered two suspected methamphetamine labs and hundreds of pounds of liquid and crystal meth with an estimated street value of around $1.8 million.  

"When you're dealing with the manufacture of methamphetamine, it can be a recipe for disaster," explained Special Agent Chuvalo Truesdell with the DEA's Atlanta office. "Sometimes these methamphetamine labs do explode."

Crews spent hours carefully removing the drugs from the two sites.  

Neighbors who live in the area were shocked by all the activity.  

"For the last four or five years we thought this was a horse ranch well because they used to have signs right here showing that people could come down and do a trail ride with the horses.  Come to find out it ain't no trail ride, it's a meth ride," said Robert Williams, who has lived in Ellenwood for more than a decade.  "You know, I hope they get this straightened out so I don't have to worry about this in our community, but this is a good community."

Agents arrested seven people they described as "Mexican nationals" in the bust, but they were not sure of their immigration status.

Investigators have not yet said what charges the suspects face.