CENTER-CITY METH BUST SHOWS NEED FOR CONTINUING VIGILANCE

One of the biggest meth labs ever found in southwest Missouri was busted by
law enforcement officials last week. Was it discovered in a run-down rural
shack? The fringe of the city? Or the heart of a notorious drug-infested
neighborhood?

No, no, no.

In stark contrast to the stereotype, the major drug manufacturing operation
was going on in a modest home on a quiet, relatively stable residential
street in the center of Springfield.

The address in the 1200 block of South Crutcher may not have been
immediately recognized. But its location, just south of Grand Street and
east of Glenstone Avenue, sure was. The area is a place where middle-class
families raise their kids, not where huge illegal drug busts occur.

Yet, as nearby residents went about their lives, the small beige house they
passed contained 1,200 pounds of hazardous chemicals, thousands of pills
and a small cache of weapons. Officials say they found enough ingredients
to make pound upon pound of the insidious drug.

The fact that this massive operation was under way here hammers home what
law enforcement officials have been repeating for years now: Meth is
everywhere.

The need for community awareness and vigilance is far from over.