Rotterdam-area resident worried after 1.5 kg of crystal meth arrives randomly by mail

A resident of Bergschenhoek, close to Rotterdam, received an unpleasant surprise last week. An unsolicited package was delivered to his home address by PostNL containing a 1.5 kilograms of a substance of a white powder believed to be crystal meth. “This must represent a lot of money,” said Jason in an interview with NL Times. “Probably up to 100,000 euros.”

Crystal meth price range between 50 and 150 euros per gram in the Netherlands according to the knowledge center Trimbos Institute. That puts the actual estimated street value at anywhere from 75,000 to 225,000 euros.

Jason, a 44-year-old IT manager originally from the United Kingdom, informed NL Times that the parcel was addressed to his home address. The package was delivered from Italy. He directly consulted his neighbor, who also told him he had not ordered anything.

Two days later, they decided to open the package. It was filled with various branded food items such as cornflakes, nachos, and chips. Jason first assumed someone had sent food from Italy.

However, the weight of the products seemed off. "It was too heavy to be nachos," he observed. Upon opening the package, they discovered bags containing "a white crystalline powder."

Jason's neighbor contacted the police, who came straight away. Police suspected it to be crystal meth and took the package away for testing. “But they said it could also have been crack or cocaine,” Jason told NL Times. He noted that the products had Dutch branding and that the box used was from a Dutch convenience store.

Police informed Jason that this type of incident is common in the Netherlands. Drug dealers may intentionally deliver packages to incorrect addresses and then retrieve them. “They said someone might come to the door and ask for it.”

He now fears for his family’s safety. “I have three young children and a pregnant wife. We don’t feel safe.” He expressed his concerns to the police but felt they were not taken seriously. “We received no advice, no protection, nothing.”

Jason now fears that someone will come to their door to pick up the package. “This is a lot of money, someone probably wants it,” he noted. “We just don’t know when they will come, or if they will come,” he continued. “There is no telling what kind of people they could be,” he said, concerned about potential aggression if they cannot retrieve their parcel.

As a temporary measure, the police have now placed a marker on Jason's address, so that they can provide a faster response should someone turn up and ask for the package. However, Jason still feels unsafe. “With my wife and neighbor, we came up with our own strategy.” If someone suspicious appears at their door, they can communicate via a Whatsapp group while speaking to the person through their smart doorbell, allowing someone else to contact the police.

Despite these precautions, Jason remains concerned. “We just don't know what will happen next.”

A spokesperson for the police in Rotterdam was unable to go into further detail about this incident when called on Friday. However, police in other districts have issued warnings about this recently. In Tilburg, police issued warnings about unsolicited packages containing drugs, saying that such situations are on the rise.

“Drugs, bundled within a package, are being sent to a false address more often,” the Groene Beemden police team operating in Tilburg said last week. They said anyone who receives a suspicious package should contact authorities. “Don’t open it, because it may contain harmful substances, and definitely don’t throw it in the bin!”