Double the number of drug packages found in mail this year

The Douane intercepted nearly double the number of drug packages sent through the mail. The majority of packages were found during random checks at the border.

The number of drugs packages custom officials found rose from 5,204 in 2020 to 12,712 in 2021, according to the research platform Pointer. Maarten Molenbeek from the Douane suspected that the real number of drug packages sent through the mail is considerably higher.

The increase in the number of drug packages sent in the mail has drawn international attention to the Netherlands. Public Prosecution Services (OM) confirmed the increase in the number of drug packages. The OM wants to increase the capacity to investigate drug mail packages.

Data from before 2020 cannot be directly compared due to a change in the way illegal drug packages are recorded.