Six arrested at cocaine lab in Noord-Brabant town

A cocaine lab was discovered a shed in the Noord-Brabant town of Sint Willebrord on Monday evening. A large amount of cocaine was confiscated. Six men were arrested. They were found hiding on the site, the police said in a statement.

The municipality Rucphen, which covers Sint Willebrord, received a report o a strange smell on Dorpsstraat at around 5:45 p.m. on Monday. The police and fire department were sent to investigate. They found remnants of drug waste in surface water. Investigation at a shed near a gas station revealed the cocaine laboratory. No one was in the shed at the time.

The national dismantling support facility was called in to dismantle the drug lab while the fire brigade sprayed the drug remnants away, leaving no risk for the environment, the police said. 

At around 9:00 p.m., the police discovered six men hiding on the site. They were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the cocaine lab. They were searched and given overalls to wear, to prevent them from destroying trace evidence, the police said. The six suspects, men between the ages of 29 and 58 years, were transferred to a police cell complex for further investigation. 

At around 11:00 p.m., the police discovered a "significant amount" of cocaine on the site. The drugs were seized and taken to a police location.