Meth lab seizures up in St. Joseph County

South Bend police Lt. David Ryans, commander of the countywide Metro Special Operations Section -- a unit that conducts drug raids in South Bend, Mishawaka and unincorporated parts of the county -- said officers uncovered more labs because his team is better trained than ever to spot meth operations.

"I think as the meth labs have popped up in our county, we've become better at noticing some of the components to it," Ryans said. "I don't think that it's prevalent in our area; it's just we're finding more because we're better trained at it."

Across the state, police seized more than 1,800 labs in 2013 compared with 1,726 in 2012 -- an increase that likely made Indiana the national leader in meth lab raids, state police reported.