Soybeans were one of several crops allegedly damaged this summer when farmers sprayed herbicide products containing dicamba. (Photo courtesy of Aaron Hager, University of Illinois)

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- The drama over possible illegal use of dicamba continues. The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that it executed federal search warrants at several southeastern Missouri locations as part of an investigation into alleged misuse or misapplication of dicamba onto herbicide-tolerant soybeans and cotton.

The agency said in a formal statement that the activity was part of an ongoing criminal inquiry and stems from widespread complaints of damage to sensitive crops across Missouri and several other states in the Midwest and Southeast. Special agents of the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID) served the warrants during the week of October 10 in Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, New Madrid and Stoddard counties of Missouri.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture received 124 dicamba-related complaints this summer, mostly within the four counties included in the EPA probe. The complaints allege damage across more than 41,000 acres to soybeans, peaches, tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupe, rice, purple-hull peas, peanuts, cotton and alfalfa, as well as to residential gardens, trees and shrubs, according to EPA's news release.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is currently investigating 47 dicamba-related complaints. In Arkansas, 28 dicamba complaints are pending.

Seed carrying the dicamba-tolerant trait, broadly known as the Xtend cropping system, is approved for planting in the U.S. However, Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and a number of trait licensees sold the seed for 2016 planting without an EPA-approved, dicamba-based herbicide to use with that trait. Monsanto also sold some cotton varieties containing the Xtend trait in 2015 and 2016.