That’s probably true. There’s a program down to the county level where law enforcement establishes relationships with places that sell certain materials.
If you show up and buy a big bag of ammonium nitrate or order a few hundred pounds of sugar and aren’t known to the seller, you’ll be looked into or talked to.
It is true now. Fifty years ago, not so much. The first crackdown on chemicals was - I think but could be wrong - the precursors for quaalude manufacturing…it came even before the US got serious about drunk driving…around 1982.
Oklahoma City made explosive precursors an area of concern, but meth precursors are a 21st century prohibition/restriction.
Anyway, your local police are likely to have live access to security cameras in area businesses in addition to real time license plate readers in cruisers.
If you show up and buy a big bag of ammonium nitrate or order a few hundred pounds of sugar and aren’t known to the seller, you’ll be looked into or talked to.