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But the numbers are back on the rise as people find ways to get around the law through such practices as "pill smurfing" in which groups of people purchase the decongestant medicine at multiple pharmacies, then turn the pills over to a meth cook.
Pseudoephedrine is the vital ingredient needed to manufacture meth.
Driving the practice of "pill smurfing" is the growing black market price. A $10 box of pills can fetch as much as $50 in Missouri, Grellner said.
"Every state in the country had an increase in meth labs," Grellner said.
Missouri saw an increase of more than 200 labs, from 1,285 labs in 2007 to 1,487 last year.
Nationally, the number of labs increased from 5,500 in 2007 to 6,750 in 2008.
For statistical purposes, meth lab totals include everything from actual working labs to lab dumpsites and the seizure of chemicals and equipment used in the manufacturing process.
Lab Totals
Following are the total lab seizures in Franklin County in other recent years. The numbers include labs seized in Franklin County by the sheriff's office, police departments, the highway patrol and federal agencies.
2005 - 103;
2004 - 138;
2003 - 107;
2002 - 152;
2001 - 67;
2000 - 48;
1999 - 48;
1998 - 24; and
1997 - one.
While the 70 labs seized put the county below 100 for the third straight year, they were enough for Franklin County to make the Top 6 list in the state, sharing the No. 3 spot with St. Francois County which also had 70 labs. Other top ranking counties were Jefferson (203), St. Charles (119), Washington (53) and St. Louis (27).
Those six counties account for more than a third of meth lab cases in Missouri in 2008.
