Authorities in Laurel County say they saw a drastic drop in meth lab busts in 2012.

In 2011, Laurel County Sheriff John Root says he was taking down meth labs "on a daily basis," 447 to be exact for that year.

The following year, WKYT-TV reports the number of busts dropped to 48. Root says a big part of the decline was because of hard work and tips from the public.

He says people were made aware of what law enforcement were trying to do through a series of town hall meetings.