Number of drug labs shut down by police in 2024 continued rise from recent years

The increase in drug labs being shut down continued in 2024. A total of 167 places were shut down where they were producing synthetic drugs, heroin, cocaine, or a combination of these drugs, according to numbers provided by the police. This is the highest number of drug labs shut down in a calendar year.

The highest number in the previous years came in 2023, when 151 drug labs were shut down. More than half of the labs, 98, were in residential areas last year. That is also an increase compared to the previous year. “A trend that is extremely concerning,” police drugs chief Willem Woelders said.

Woelders thinks that criminals are working in a “ruthless” way by working in residential areas. He feels that this endangers the safety of the area. Police have been warning about the danger of drug labs in residential areas for a longer period of time. Three people lost their lives in an explosion on the Schammenkamp in Rotterdam at the start of the year, with drug production being mentioned as a possible reason for the explosion.

Most of the labs were discovered in Zuid-Holland (51) and Noord-Brabant (38). One of the reasons for the increase in shutdowns is because more labs are being reported to the police. The anonymous crime reporting center Meld Misdaad Anoniem received over 12,000 tips regarding the drug trade and drug labs in 2024, an increase of four percent compared to the previous year.

“This is not a shock to me,” Woelders said. “We have had a few explosions in the country. Rotterdam is a very good example for people to see the significant consequences it can have for safety.”

The increase in the number of drug labs being shut down was accompanied by a higher number of disposed drugs being found. Last year, 217 disposals of drugs were discovered, an increase of 14 percent compared to a year earlier and the highest number since 2018.

Once again, most of these drugs were found in Noord-Brabant. Most of these incidents involve barrels or jerry cans left behind in nature or on deserted roads.

Police suspect that there have also been more cases of drug producers disposing of the drugs in or on the ground. One example of this was in Baarle-Nassau, where drug waste was found mixed in with manure before it was spread on three fields.

Drug disposals were found in underground containers in Amsterdam on several occasions. “They do not care one bit what the effect of this is on society,” Woelders said about the criminals in the drug world. “As long as they get their money as fast as possible.”

A notable development is the increase in MDMA production. A total of 47 locations that were producing MDMA were found last year by police. This is an increase from 2023, when 32 MDMA production locations were found.

Police think that this is connected to an increase in global demand for the drug. The number of discovered cannabis farms, however, has been declining for years. This is possibly due to the supply from other countries.