Missouri rated on drug labs

State has shut down more meth operations than any other state.

By Regina Akers Staff Writer

Missouri ranks first in the nation for the number of methamphetamine labs
it has shut down, U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Hill Jr. said Monday.

Speaking at a clay County Commission meeting, Hill said the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration released the ranking recently. Four years ago
Missouri authorities broke up six methamphetamine labs statewide. The could
be as high as 50 this year, Hill said.

"It's an extraordinary public health issue," he said. "It's becoming the
drug of choice" for teenagers.

In recent months Hill has promoted the need for area residents to bet
involved in fighting the drug. Clay County Prosecutor Michael Reardon and
Sheriff Bob Boydston joined Hill in Monday's Presentation.

A story told less often about methamphetamine is the environmental
contamination left behind by toxic chemicals used in the drug's production,
Hill said. Such chemicals include drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern
fuel, antifreeze, hydrochloric acid and red phosphorous.

"It's a kind of environmental terrorism," Hill said, "It's the kind of
stuff that makes for an EPA cleanup."

Methamphetamine lab operators increasingly are fleeing to the perceived
sanctity and quiet of rural areas as a cover for their labs, Hill said.

"There's no place in Clay County that has suffered like Independence has,"
Hill said. "But it's a wakeup call. We don't want to see it get to the
point that it has in other communities."

Authorities estimate that Independence has as many as 1,000 methamphetamine
labs, Hill said. Residents have reported declining property values because
of environmental contamination and have had difficulty selling houses in
some areas, Hill said.