TIPS HELP COPS IN FIGHT AGAIINST METH LABS

Anyone who might question the fact that Missouri has the dubious honor of ranking second only to California in methamphetamine production need only look at what authorities discovered this month in rural Jefferson County near St. Louis.

Acting on an anonymous tip, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies and federal authorities were led to a 10-acre site that contained 100 -- that's right, one hundred -- open-air methamphetamine-cooking labs that they believe had been in operation for six months to a year.

The site was on an 80-acre tract belonging to an elderly man who was unaware the drug was being made on his land. Although the operation took place near the St. Louis metropolitan area, police believe the meth makers went unnoticed for so long because the 10 acres on which they maneuvered is remote and inaccessible from any road.

The Jefferson County sheriff said he believes the meth makers were dropped off periodically along a blacktop road near the property, and they would trek into the woods, make the meth and check on the labs, and hike back out.

In addition to the labs, authorities found glass jars containing meth buried in the ground. They estimated its street value at $400,000. It took two trailers from a cleanup company three days to clear the sites. Costs totaled more than $30,000.

Three people were arrested, and authorities said they expected to make more arrests.

The discovery can only be described as unbelievable. Despite the amount of meth manufacturing that goes on in Missouri, never before had so many labs been found in such a concentrated area.

It shows that the meth problem in this state is real. But it also shows what can happen when authorities are told of meth labs. In this case they acted quickly on an anonymous tip and shut down a major operation in the area.

Anonymous tips lead authorities to a lot of meth labs in Missouri. Many times an officer can follow his own nose to the labs because the smell is so distinct. Because meth production is so dangerous, sometimes explosions and fires occur, and those lead authorities to the labs.

But the best way to fight this most-recent craze in the drug world is to report any unusual odor in the neighborhood and suspicious activity. As the Jefferson County incident proved, you don't need to give your name to get something done.