It could be happening right next door to you. Or just down the street. It's what North Carolina's Attorney General calls the number one enemy for law enforcement: secret methamphetamine labs in our area and across the state.

In 1999, there were only nine labs busted in the state. Last year that number increased to 322. This year? It could reach 700.

The highly addictive stimulant is smoked, snorted, injected and eaten. The United States Department of Justice says meth has surpassed cocaine as the new drug of choice by our youth. Our lawmakers are taking notice. The state senate, just Wednesday, gave tentative approval to a bill aimed at curbing meth.