KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Highway Patrol has reported that methamphetamine laboratory seizures jumped 10 percent last year.
The highway patrol said there were 1,960 seizures in Missouri in 2010, up from 1,774 in 2009.
"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 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," he said.
The number of meth lab seizures in Missouri has steadily increased since 2007. The highway patrol blames the increase on people circumventing laws that restrict the legal limit purchase of pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in making meth.
According to national figures, Missouri led the nation in meth lab seizures last year. The other top five states include Tennessee with 1,197 incidents, Kentucky with 1,045 incidents, Mississippi with 715 incidents and Michigan with 672 incidents.
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