Dutch police busted fewer cannabis plantations, drug labs last year

Incidents of drug waste dumping increased by 13 percent to 208 cases. The increase has to do with criminals dumping smaller amounts of waste in more places
NL Times (Netherlands)
Monday, April 4, 2022

netherlands cannabis plantation2The police busted and dismantled fewer synthetic drug labs and cannabis plantations last year, latest figures show. The number of discovered drug labs fell by 35 percent. The number of cocaine laundries, crystallization sites, and packaging sites was 63 percent lower. The police attributed the decrease to them arresting various drug gangs and criminal networks after breaking into encrypted phone services like EncroChat, Sky, and ANOM. Last year, the police also dismantled fewer cannabis plantations - 2,285 compared to 2,894 in 2020. This number has been falling for years. In 2017, the police dismantled over 4,600 cannabis farms. (See also: Fewer drugs labs dismantled as criminals are forced to change tack)