Netherlands tops Europe in MDMA and amphetamine lab busts, EU report shows
The Netherlands is a leading country in Europe not only as an importer of cocaine but also as a major producer of various other drugs, according to the 2023 annual report by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). The report reveals extensive drug production and trafficking activities in the country, highlighting its central role in the European drug market.
In 2023, EU member states dismantled 36 MDMA laboratories across Europe, with 32 of those located in the Netherlands. The report states that the Netherlands plays a pivotal role in the European MDMA trade, while Europe itself remains an important player in the global MDMA market.
The Netherlands also topped the list for the production of speed (amphetamine), accounting for nearly 40 of the more than 90 laboratories found across Europe. Regarding heroin, Dutch authorities shut down 10 of the 14 known production sites. Additionally, the country ranked second in the number of dismantled methamphetamine labs, with 29 locations.
EUDA’s report further highlights significant seizures in the Netherlands and Hungary of chemical substances used to manufacture speed, methamphetamine, and MDMA. The Netherlands was responsible for nearly three-quarters of all ketamine seizures in Europe during 2023.
The year 2023 also marked the seventh consecutive year of record cocaine seizures in Europe. A total of 95,000 cocaine seizures were made, amounting to 419 tons of the drug. Among European countries, only Belgium and Spain recorded more cocaine finds than the Netherlands.
Concerns about increasing use of designer drugs, such as 4-MMC and 3-CMC, are also raised in the report. While the total European seizure of these drugs was 4.5 tons in 2021, it jumped to 37 tons within two years, with a large portion trafficked through the Netherlands. The country dismantled eight production sites for these substances, second only to Poland, which had 40. Although fewer new designer drugs appear each year, overall consumption is reportedly rising.
The report also warns about the growing use of nitazenes, dangerous synthetic painkillers contributing significantly to fatal overdoses in Estonia and Latvia. No specific data on nitazenes were reported for the Netherlands in 2023, although police reported the first seizures of these substances in the country last year.
