A methamphetamine ring that also trafficked cocaine was broken up this past week in San Diego, California.

According to UT San Diego, “Twelve of the defendants were arrested on Wednesday, officials said. Seven are from Vista; two are from San Marcos; and the other three are from Oceanside, Spring Valley and Los Angeles.

“One defendant was previously arrested. Six others named in a criminal complaint are fugitives. The arrests follow a yearlong investigation by the DEA and the Major Mexican Traffickers Strike Force. The drug ring brought methamphetamine and cocaine into San Diego County from cartels based in Tijuana and Guadalajara, Mexico …”

Meth users and abusers seldom think of (or don’t know about) the group of people that their habit passes through when ingesting a drug. Many don’t think of addiction as a moral issue, though in fact it often does have a moral component when talking about illicit drugs.

The aim of this post is not to preach but to point out a real life example of where addiction and morality issues do intersect.