ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Methamphetamine lab seizures are on the rise in the nation's cities and suburbs, raising new concerns about a lethal drug that has long been the scourge of rural America.

Data and interviews from an Associated Press investigation found growing numbers of meth lab seizures in cities such as St. Louis, Nashville, Tenn., and Evansville, Ind. Authorities are also seeing evidence that inner-city gangs are becoming involved in meth production and distribution.

The increase in labs is especially troubling because meth brought into the U.S. from Mexico also is on the rise in large cities and suburbs. So-called Mexican "super labs" are upping production, making meth more pure and less expensive, and then using existing drug pipelines to target urban areas.