Dutch police find record setting €55 million in ketamine during Gooi village raid

The police seized over 2,000 kilograms of ketamine, with a street value of around 55 million euros, from a shed in the Gooi village of Muiderberg early this month. “It is the largest amount of ketamine ever found in the Netherlands,” the police said. One suspect is in custody.

The police raided the home on Googweg in Muiderberg, which falls under the municipality of Gooise Meren, on January 4 after an anonymous tip about the presence of narcotics. They found dozens of boxes full of ketamine in a shed near the house. Several kilograms of hard drugs were also found. The narcotics were seized and destroyed.

A 55-year-old man from Naarden was in the house when the police raided it. The police arrested him and are investigating his role in this case. Two children were also in the home. The police called in VeiligThuis - an agency aimed at creating a safe home environment and mainly works with victims of domestic violence - to take care of them.

Ketamine falls under the Medicines Act and not the Opium Act, so it is not considered a hard drug in the Netherlands. But trading drugs in the Medicines Act without registration is also a punishable offense, carrying a maximum sentence of 6 years in prison.

“Ketamine is emerging as a party drug, but is very harmful to public health,” the police said. “Moreover, the trade is often accompanied by other forms of crime, like money laundering and weapons possession.”