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Police siren.
Police siren. - Credit: Chalabala / DepositPhotos - License: DepositPhotos
Crime
Amsterdam-West
Van Brakelstraat
Femke Halsema
opium act
seizure
hashish
camera surveillance
Wednesday, 21 January 2026 - 20:20

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Amsterdam-West home shut after police seize 120kg of hashish, €432,000 in cash

A major police raid on Van Brakelstraat in Amsterdam-West late last year uncovered a massive narcotics stash. Officers seized 120 kilograms of hashish alongside nearly 432,000 euros in concealed cash, all found hidden within a local residence and its garden shed, AT5 reported on Wednesday.

Amsterdam city authorities have ordered both properties to be closed immediately for a period of three months. Even though one of the houses was still inhabited, the closure will remain in force. The buildings can only reopen sooner under “extremely exceptional new circumstances.”

“The main reason is the sheer volume of drugs discovered,over 100 kilograms, and the large amounts of cash found,” the city states in its closure order. “These facts indicate that the property is part of a criminal network.”

The Van Brakelstraat has been under significant police scrutiny recently. In mid-2025, Mayor Halsema ordered emergency camera surveillance in the street following two separate explosions on June 24 and July 8.

Just weeks before the drug discovery announcement, on December 11, 2025, an armed home invasion took place at a residence on the same street. During that investigation, police found narcotics, which may have been the catalyst for the larger raid that uncovered the 120kg hashish stash.

Under Article 13b of the Opium Act, the Mayor can close a home even if no one has been convicted of a crime yet. A key reason for the immediate closure is to prevent rip-deals, which are violent drug robberies.

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