Apparent Racial Profiling in Meth Investigation
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a motion to have all remaining charges dropped in "Operation Meth Merchant" due to racial profiling. The implications of this investigation in North Georgia point to both the DEA and local officials who appeared to be targeting South Asian store owners. Of the twenty-four stores targeted in the investigation twenty-three are owned by South Asians, while eighty percent of the stores in the area are owned by other ethnic groups. Furthermore, the ACLU claims that investigators ignored tips and leads that were directed at white owners.