RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- The underbelly of Highway 74 in a deeply rural part of Rutherford County is where Brad Wilkerson once spent a long 30 hours.​

• In December, Rutherford County deputies seized 24 pounds of meth
• Meth arrests up 260 percent from 55 in 2013 to 200 last year in Charlotte
• Some say the opioid crisis garners attention while other drugs are falling from view

“I had the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet and I called my sister that enough was enough, I was ready to go,” Wilkerson said.

He was a meth addict.

“I had to have it physically to get through the day,” Wilkerson said.

It's not the story Wilkerson was destined for. He grew up in Forest City, a town of 7,000 in the foothills of North Carolina.

“Grew up on the right side of the street, had very loving parents,” Wilkerson said.

But when his father passed in 2000, depression took over.

“Drinking too much, smoking too much marijuana and it eventually led to a friend of mine introducing me to methamphetamine,” Wilkerson said.

He said meth seemingly swept away his problems until life came roaring towards him.

“Made me think that I was doing everything at 100 mph,” Wilkerson said.

It didn't take long for meth to consume his life. He said he would spend up to a $1,000 a week to keep his stash and when the money ran low, he found other means which often landed him behind bars.

Meth is becoming a growing, dangerous problem across North Carolina.

In late December, police seized 24 pounds of meth in Rutherford County. It was a six-month investigation focused on trafficking and resulted in 1​4 arrests.

60 miles from the mountains of Rutherford County, Sgt. Christopher Rorie has his eye on Charlotte streets, with his crime reduction team also spending a lot of time on meth.

“The usage has definitely increased over the past year,” said Sgt. Christopher Rorie.

Just in Charlotte's Independence Division where Rorie is stationed, meth seizures have gone up 360 percent from last year. They’ve increased from 40 grams to a 168.

Across the city of Charlotte, arrests for meth are up 260 percent from 55 in 2013 to 200 last year.​

Rorie said while some dealers still cook meth, more and more of it is coming from Mexican cartels, which has driven the price down.

Dealers are also changing their approach.

“It's sort of a pharmacy that these guys are doing. They are using a bunch of different drugs at one time,” Rorie said. “You can contact this person you want to buy meth from but you can also buy heroin and pills.”

Wilkerson believes as the opioid crisis has garnered attention, other drugs are falling from view, and cartels are taking advantage.

“It's a business. They don't care about me they don't care about you or anything like that. That is a business that they are running and they're doing one hell of a job of running that business,” Wilkerson said.

Stopping the business will fall to police and the government. It's why Wilkerson's attention is on treatment.

“I'm living proof that you can do this and get to the next level in life,” Wilkerson said. “Don't ever give up.”

Today Wilkerson is back with his family that he lost for so many years. He's been clean for eight and now sees his life in a new light, as he works to get other addicts off the side of the road, and on a path to recovery.​

Wilkerson works with addicts at Legacy Freedom Treatment Centers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration national 24/7 hotline is 1-800-662-4357.