Name: Europe police seize 1,000 tonnes of chemicals in record drugs bust
Uploaded: 2026-01-21T15:03:30.540Z
Duration: 1 min 7 s
Description: Authorities dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth.

Authorities dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth.

Brussels

European law enforcement agencies have carried out the largest synthetic drug operation in the continent's history, dismantling 24 industrial-scale laboratories and seizing approximately 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to produce drugs such as MDMA, amphetamines, and methamphetamine. The year-long operation involved coordinated efforts from police in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, and resulted in more than 85 arrests, including two alleged ringleaders from Poland.

The investigation began in 2024 after Polish authorities detected suspicious imports of legal chemicals from China and India. These chemicals were reportedly repackaged, mislabeled, and distributed to drug manufacturing labs across Europe, significantly disrupting organized crime networks.

Europe police seize 1,000 tonnes of chemicals in record drugs bust

European police said on Wednesday that they had busted a major synthetic drug ring working across several countries in what they described as the largest ever operation of its kind. The mission, according to Europol, struck a massive blow to organized crime, with authorities dismantling 24 industrial-scale labs. Officers also seized around 1,000 tons of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamines and meth. The year-long operation involved police from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. More than 85 arrests were made, including the two suspected ringleaders, both from Poland, according to Andy Krog, the head of the European Syria's Organized Crime Center at Europol. Suspicions were raised back in 2024 when Polish police noticed a network importing vast quantities of legal chemicals from China and India. Investigations revealed that those chemicals were being repackaged, mislabeled and redistributed to labs across Europe that manufacture the synthetic drugs.

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