Missourians, you're on top of the meth world. The Show-Me State is once again No. 1 in meth lab seizures with a whopping 1,960 seizures in 2010. This marks the 10th time that Missouri has led the nation in seizures. That's also a 10 percent jump from 2009's 1,774 seizures.
The competition wasn't even close.
The next closest state, Tennessee, had just 1,197 seizures, according to
the Star. The rest of the top five: Kentucky (1,045), Mississippi (715)
and Michigan (672).
Wha? No New Mexico. Guess that's because Jesse and Walter haven't been caught.
"Once again, Missouri has the unfortunate distinction of being the
leader in meth lab seizures, despite the hard work of the state's drug
task forces and all law enforcement," Col. Ron Replogle, superintendent
of the Missouri Highway Patrol, said in a press release. "Meth is a deadly drug, with dangerous consequences for all Missouri
communities, including increasing other criminal activity, and
endangering the children who grow up in residences where meth is
produced and used."
Since 2007, Missouri's meth seizures keep rising (the state has seen a 53 percent jump from that time). The heart of Missouri's meth-making country is Jefferson County with 228 seizures, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The next closest counties were Franklin (106) and Washington (103). Authorities blame the increase in seizures on meth cooks getting around laws limiting the sale of products with pseudoephedrine.
Of all the rankings, this isn't one of them that the state's convention and visitors bureau is likely to be touting.
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