Rotterdam's mayor wants additional millions for the fight against drugs

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb wants millions of euros extra for the deployment of police officers and other people to combat drug-related crime in his city, he said in an interview with Trouw.

"We have received 16 million euros from the government in Rotterdam. Let me start by saying that I am not an ungrateful person. I am happy about every euro we receive for this purpose," Aboutaleb told the newspaper. "But the reality is, of course, that billions are at stake in this business. And my biggest fear is that these criminals will eventually become too powerful economically. This means that they can also become powerful towards governments, local councils and provinces."

The mayor has just returned from a working visit to several Latin American countries dominated by the drug problem. He wants to warn against the idea that practices like those he has seen in a country like Ecuador will not spread to the Netherlands. "I have the feeling that we are lulling ourselves to sleep. That we think: things won't go so well for us," said Aboutaleb, giving Dutch drug policy "a five out of ten at best".

After his visit to Latin America, it was even more important for Aboutaleb not to lose the fight against drug-related crime, and this would require millions in funding. However, the money must also be invested in the countries where the drugs come from, he explained to Trouw.

In Rotterdam, 40,000 lines of cocaine are said to be snorted every day. For the mayor, it is clear that funding against this drug crime is the only way to combat it effectively.