BRUSSELS (ANP) – The Netherlands not only ranks as a leading importer of cocaine but also stands out as a major producer of various other drugs in Europe. A recent report indicates that the Netherlands serves as a central hub in the European MDMA trade, with Europe playing a significant role in the global MDMA market.
With nearly forty out of more than ninety identified speed (amphetamine) production labs in Europe, the Netherlands takes the lead in this category. Additionally, almost all heroin production sites (ten out of fourteen) have been dismantled in the country. Regarding methamphetamine, the Netherlands is second, having shut down 29 labs.
The report highlights significant seizures of chemical precursors for speed, meth, and MDMA occurring in the Netherlands and Hungary. Furthermore, the Netherlands accounted for approximately 75% of all confiscated ketamine.
Concerns about the rising popularity of designer drugs, such as 4-MMC and 3-CMC, were also raised in the EUDA report. Seizures of these substances in Europe totaled 4.5 tons in 2021, which surged to 37 tons over two years, with a substantial portion originating from the Netherlands. Eight production sites were closed in the country, trailing behind Poland, which had forty. Although there has been a decline in new designer drugs emerging each year, overall usage continues to rise.
In 2023, Europe saw its seventh consecutive year of record cocaine interceptions, with 95,000 discoveries totaling 419 tons. The Netherlands ranked third for discovered cocaine, following Belgium and Spain.
The report also raises alarms about the increasing use of nitazenes across Europe, which have been linked to a rise in fatal overdoses in Estonia and Latvia. Specific data on nitazenes in the Netherlands for 2023 is unavailable, although Dutch police reported their first seizures last year.
(June 5, 2025)
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