Dutch, Mexican suspects held in in meth lab bust; Notable rise in production

Police arrested three men in a raid on a suspected crystal meth lab near the Gelderland village of Herwijnen early Saturday morning, the police have confirmed. The lab was raided by a specialized tactical team as the situation required, police said.

Responding to tip-offs suggesting that drugs were being produced on the Bloklandweg, a rural area outside of Herwijnen, police raided the illegal facility at around 5 a.m. on Saturday. They arrested one Dutch man and two from Mexico in the process. Their ages and hometowns were not revealed. The lab was being dismantled by experts on Saturday, the police said, with an investigation into the three suspects underway.

While it is very likely that the drug lab was being used to produce methamphetamine, more commonly known as crystal meth, police said they were still confirming the exact purpose of the facility.

Last month, police issued a warning that Mexican drug cartels were aiding Dutch ecstasy producers to set-up facilities to manufacture crystal meth. Several labs appearing to hold a similar function have been raided across the eastern parts of Netherlands in recent weeks. A large production facility was busted in Achter Drempt on May 10, the police pointed out, adding that a similar raid on a home in Willemsoord was confirmed to have been producing the drug.

Police urge members of the public who encounter an "acetone or ammonia-like" odor coming from any place, even if busy, to come forward with their report.