900 pounds of meth is off the streets in the Twin Cities after a single operation, which may be the largest single bust in state history.

On June 3, it happened while the feds executed a search warrant tied to human trafficking and money laundering in eight different locations that ranged from homes to businesses.

The nearly 1,000 pounds of meth was hidden in tubes in a Burnsville storage locker. Federal authorities said in court documents it’s worth at least $22 million.

“900 pounds is really crazy when you think about that amount of seizure in the state of Minnesota,” Todd Axtell, former St. Paul Police chief, said. “One seizure, 900 pounds, has never happened in the state of Minnesota. It is actually one of the largest in the country.”

Axtell also led the special investigations and narcotics team.

He currently runs a public safety and security consulting firm, The Axtell Group.

Axtell said the state has already reached nearly half of last year’s total in one bust.

“This isn’t your grandpa’s meth. This isn’t made in the trailer in the back for you up in Aitkin County. This is mass-produced, highly potent, highly dangerous, and highly addictive,” Axtell said. “Oftentimes they have weapons to make sure that they can protect their product and that becomes a great level of concern for law enforcement as they go in to make the bust.”

The Twin Cities are a prime spot for cartel distribution in the upper Midwest.

I-35 stretches all the way to the border of Mexico and MSP being an international airport makes it the perfect location to push product.

“There’ll be more meth coming in. That’s why it’s so critically important to make sure that our state, local and federal partners are working collaboratively, exchanging information, making sure they’re working together, paddling in the same direction to have a laser focused approach at attacking the supply,” Axtell said. “If you cut the head off the snake, you’re going to have a much bigger impact on keeping methamphetamines and other drugs out of the hands of people who are going to become addicted to crimes throughout our state.”

Authorities explained that stopping the flow of narcotics is crucial because it reduces crimes that are connected to those drugs.