Some 3,000 cannabis plants destroyed in Noord-Nederland drug bust

The police raided a total of 11 addresses in the northern parts of the Netherlands on Monday as part of a major investigation into cannabis cultivation and trafficking and money laundering. Three cannabis farms with a total of 3 thousand plants were discovered and dismantled. The investigation was launched after cannabis plantations were discovered in Gorredijk and Drachten late last year and early this year. The construction and composition of the cannabis farms were very similar, leading the police to believe that they were run by the same people. Further investigation revealed a cannabis cultivation, trafficking and money laundering ring operating from 11 locations, which were raided on Monday. The cannabis plantations were found in three locations. The first was found in a barn on Mr PJ Troelstraweg in Leeuwarden. It contained 600 plants. The second, containing 1,200 plants, was found in a commercial building on Badweg in Gorredijk. The last also contained 1,200 plants and was found on a farm in Veelerveen. The police also found a "work site" in an office building on Gangboord in Drachten, in which farming equipment and rack for hemp plants were manufactured. The cannabis plantations were dismantled and the drugs and equipment, including grow lamps, filters and fans, were seized and destroyed. It involved a total of 200 cubic meters of various goods. The police also seized firearms with ammunition, several cars, a motorcycle, a truck, thousands of euros in cash, antiques, tools and administration. The four suspects arrested on Monday are still in custody for questioning. No further arrests were made, but the police believes more may follow as the investigation continues.