There has been an increase in crystal meth labs in the Netherlands, which the Dutch police find very worrying. "We have indications that Dutch drug traffickers are working with Mexican drug cartels and are purchasing expertise to replace ecstasy labs with laboratories producing crystal meth," Andy Kraag, head of detectives at the National Police Corps, said to the Telegraaf.

Ecstasy producers switching to meth

The drug cartels are helping ecstasy producers to switch to producing crystal meth because it has apparent economic benefits for the producers. Kraag told De Telegraaf that meth is more lucrative "because the profits abroad are often tenfold and because it is easy for Dutch ecstasy producers to make. They already have the necessary hardware, raw materials and distribution networks. Only the recipes were missing."

According to Max Daniel, head of the drug portfolio in the National Police Corps, Mexican cartels are looking for a market in Europe and the Netherlands is attractive due to its sophisticated infrastructure and production facilities, as well as the lenient prison sentences.

Increase in police raids on meth labs in the Netherlands

An increasing number of meth labs in the Netherlands have been raided by police and dismantled. At the beginning of the month, a meth lab in Gelderland was raided and three men, from the US, Mexico and Colombia, were arrested and 10 million euros worth of drugs were seized. In March, three men were arrested for producing meth on a boat in Moerdijk. The men each received a four-year prison sentence and the boat’s captain received a 32-month prison sentence.