How Crystal Meth Labs Actually Work

Adi Jaffe was a crystal meth dealer in Los Angeles, purchasing his supply from local meth labs and making his way up to dealing with Mexican cartels. Jaffe was arrested five times, with the final arrest resulting in his incarceration.

After leaving prison, Jaffe decided to pursue academia and attained his doctorate degree in psychology. He now lectures at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also runs a practice called IGNTD, which takes a unique approach to addiction recovery.

Jaffe speaks with Insider about the practicalities of running crystal meth labs. He discusses the methods behind different methamphetamine recipes, the effects of antidrug policies on the supply, how the cartels managed to take over the trade with superlabs, and P2P meth precursor chemicals supplied from China.