Largest European Operation Against Drug‑Chemical Precursor Network

Publication date 21-01-2026, 11:08

On 16 January, European law‑enforcement authorities conducted a major coordinated operation targeting a criminal network suspected of producing synthetic drugs and engaging in the large‑scale trade in chemicals and precursors. Supported by Europol, the action—Europe’s largest of its kind—involved arrests and searches in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

The investigation centred on an extensive network responsible for importing, repackaging and distributing chemicals used as precursors for synthetic drugs. These substances were imported from countries such as China and India and entered the European market via several EU member states. The chemicals were then transported to Poland, where the organisation managed the repackaging and onward distribution to illegal laboratories in Poland and other European countries. The packaging was fitted with falsified labels. At the production sites, substances including amphetamine, methamphetamine and cathinone were produced.
The network operated through legitimate Polish companies and maintained links with various criminal groups across Europe. Its activities generated large quantities of toxic waste, which were either stored at production sites or disposed of illegally. Money laundering also constituted an integral element of the organisation’s business model.

Dutch Contribution to the European Cooperation

The Netherlands has been part of this European collaboration from the outset. Under the leadership of the National Public Prosecutor’s Office, the FIOD, working in cooperation with the National Police’s National Investigation and Intervention Unit, conducted a criminal investigation. During this investigation, large‑scale transport of chemicals intended for the production of synthetic drugs came to light. Over the past year, this led—between April and November—to the discovery of drug laboratories and storage locations in Rotterdam, Veenwouden, Valthermond, Scheemda, Sittard, Waalwijk, Terneuzen, The Hague, Apeldoorn and Wouwse Plantage.