State police release meth lab data

Monroe County was sixth in the state in total meth labs discovered by police in 2013.

This is an improvement from 2012, when the county was listed at fourth in the state behind Madison, Vanderburgh and Delaware counties.

There were 62 labs seized in Monroe County in 2013 and 60 seized in 2012.

Vanderburgh County topped the 2013 charts with 115 meth labs seized by the Indiana State Police or reported from another agency.

A press release from the Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Section said it expects Indiana will be first in the country in clandestine lab incidents for 2013, also noting that lab seizures have risen continuously in recent years.

This is in contrast with national meth lab seizures since 2010. Based on data from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website, the number of seizures decreased by 13 percent between 2010 and 2011 and by 18 percent between 2011 and 2012. There is no national data for 2013 listed at this time.

In 2001, three labs in Monroe County were seized by the ISP. Rates in Monroe remained relatively low until 2011, when there were 54 seizures, up from 18 in the previous year.