This map of Missouri counties documents methamphetamine incidents in 2013 as reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The total count dropped from 1,985 in 2012 to 1,495, while the Texas County tally increased from 5 to 17, according to the report.

Missouri has lost its long-standing, infamous title of the No. 1 meth state in the country.

For the first time in more than a decade, Missouri has dropped from the top spot to No. 3, according to recently released methamphetamine incident statistics for the state and the U.S.

According to data compiled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, there were 1,495 meth lab incidents reported in 2013, down from 1,985 investigated in 2012. According to information from the Drug Enforcement Administration at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) in El Paso, Texas,

  1. County officers make two meth busts

Indiana supplanted Missouri at the top with 1,797 meth labs reported in 2013, while Tennessee was second with 1,545.

Southeastern Missouri, where prescription laws have been passed in virtually every county and city where pharmacies are located, has seen a dramatic drop in meth labs over the last years, as shown by the statistics.

With 223 labs reported, Jefferson County was the No. 1 meth county in Missouri in 2013, followed by St. Charles County with 119 and St. Louis County with 74.

Texas County meth incidents increased from five in 2012 to 17 in 2013. Sheriff James Sigman attributed that to better law enforcement.

“Our relationship with the South Central Drug Task Force is very good, and that has a lot to do with it,” Sigman said. “We’re constantly concentrating on cleaning up the meth problem in our county. It’s not that there’s more meth activity in Texas County, we’re just documenting more incidents and making more arrests.”

Police agencies in Missouri classify meth lab incidents into three categories: operational/nonoperational labs, chemical/glassware/equipment seizures and lab dump sites. All law enforcement agencies in the state are required to report the seizure of methamphetamine laboratories to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which then enters state seizure data into the National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System, which is maintained by EPIC.

METH BUSTS IN MISSOURI

 2007  1,285
 2008  1,487
 2009  1,774
 2010  1,960
 2011  2,096
 2012  1,985

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