The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that across Missouri methamphetamine laboratory incident seizures totaled 2,096 during 2011, an increase of more than 6 percent from 2010.
Missouri saw a drop in the number of meth lab seizures in 2006, after anti-meth lab legislation was enacted. However, from 2007 to 2011, the number of meth lab incidents in Missouri has increased steadily. This rise can be attributed in part to meth manufacturers circumventing laws that restrict the legal limit purchase of pseudoephedrine.
“Pseudoephedrine is the key ingredient used to make meth,” the patrol reports. “It is also the only ingredient that cannot be substituted in the manufacture of methamphetamine.”
Missouri Methamphetamine Laboratory Incident Seizures from 2007 through 2011
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2007 – 1,285
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2008 – 1,487
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2009 – 1,774
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2010 – 1,960
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2011 – 2,096
Methamphetamine laboratory incident seizures are classified into three categories: operational/nonoperational labs, chemical/glassware/equipment seizures, and lab dump sites.
The patrol says all law enforcement agencies in the state are required to report the seizure of methamphetamine laboratories to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, then the information is entered into the National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System, which is maintained by the Drug Enforcement Administration at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) in Texas.