Record number of drug labs busted last year; Sharp rise in heroin, synthetid drugs

Last year, the Dutch police dismantled a record 151 drug laboratories, a massive 44 percent more than in 2022. There was a sharp increase in heroin and synthetic drug labs, while the number of cocaine labs remained stable and cannabis plantations decreased, the police reported on Tuesday.

The police busted 10 heroin labs last year, up from just 2 in 2022. The number of synthetic drug labs increased by 50 percent, from 83 in 2022 to 125 in 2023.

Last year, the police found 32 production sites for MDMA and 29 for methamphetamine, compared to 15 for both the year before. Cops also dismantled 18 locations producing raw materials for MDMA and methamphetamine.

The police also noted an increase in combination labs dismantled - 21 in 2023 and 9 in 2022. These locations can produce multiple types of drugs. “Criminal organizations are apparently able to quickly switch between production of different types of drugs, depending on demand,” said Willem Woelders, in charge of the drug file at the police.

The most drug labs were discovered in Zuid-Holland (40) and Noord-Brabant (35). According to the police, Zuid-Holland’s top position is partly due to cocaine- and heroin cutting being concentrated in this province. These two provinces also had the most drug waste dumping sites - 42 in Noord-Brabant and 33 in Zuid-Holland. The police found 191 dumping sites throughout the country last year, up 23 percent.

“An important explanation for the increased number of labs that have been dismantled can be found in the increased global demand for drugs,” Woelders said. “We have strong indications that demand is increasing. We see this, for example, in the worldwide seizures of (synthetic) drugs that can be linked to the Netherlands.”

Cannabis plantations are counted separately from drug labs. The number of cannabis farms dismantled in the Netherlands has been decreasing for years, and that decline continued in 2023. Last year, the police busted 1,230 cannabis plantations, compared to 1,640 in 2022 and 2,285 in 2021.

“The decrease is because local authorities are making different choices in their drug approach, with more emphasis on cocaine or synthetic drugs than on hemp,” Woelders said. “There are also signals that more hemp is being imported from abroad, making production in the Netherlands less necessary for criminals.”