Who is not aware of how the world has changed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks? Many may be unaware of the full nature of those changes, especially as they have taken shape in the area of law enforcement. Tennessee has been directly affected by the changes. The evidence is the fact that the state leads the nation in drug manufacturing lab busts. There were 2, 082 in 2010 alone.

Those enforcement actions weren't simply the work of local police. They were the concerted effort of hundreds of people across the strata of law enforcement, right on up to and including multi-national action coordinated in connection with the Department of Homeland Security. It might surprise some to know that while Tennessee is an apparent hub of drug manufacturing activity, officials say most of the meth in the state comes from Mexico.

The apparent links between Tennessee and Mexico can be seen by virtue of a couple of recent stories in the news. The first comes out of Greenville. Authorities report they arrested six men and seized four pounds of methamphetamine in a raid earlier this month. The Department of Justice says five of the men are from Mexico originally. And a DOJ spokeswoman says all six of them are in custody on immigration related complaints. Whether any of them could be looking at deportation has to be considered.

Meanwhile, Mexican authorities report that they seized 15 tons of pure methamphetamine at a ranch in Jalisco state Tuesday. Officials say the amount is about half what was seized around the globe in all of 2009. The speculation is that the operation is evidence that the U.S. is not the only recipient of Mexican-made meth, but that Mexico is the major producer of meth globally.

It's not certain whether there is any connection between the six men arrested in Greenville earlier and the operation in Jalisco. Regardless, Tennessee authorities say the action in Mexico is likely to have big impact on the state because meth produced in the state is often mingled with cheaper Mexican meth to boost profits.

Source: VolunteerTV.com, "Four pounds of meth seized in Washington Co., suspects arrested on immigration complaints," Feb. 3, 2012; AP, Albany Times Union, "Mexican army finds 15 tons of pure methamphetamine," Arturo Perez, Mark Stevenson, Feb. 10, 2012