Three Dutch people were arrested in Spain during the dismantling of a large drug lab. Two of them operated as chemists in the production of synthetic drugs. The police had been eyeing the drug network for months. She speaks of “one of the largest ecstasy production laboratories” in the country.
The police narcotics brigade in Benidorm had long suspected a criminal network involved in the production of synthetic drugs. Police identified two suspects. They were closely monitored during their visits to several buildings in recent months.
Strong smell and lots of jerry cans
One such location was a remote and semi-derelict country house in Sueca, not far from the town of Cullera in the Valencia region. In the mountainous and wooded area with small access roads, the criminals remained unnoticed by the outside world. The police noticed that unusual transactions were taking place there. There was also a strong chemical smell around the mansion and an ‘excessive’ amount of jerry cans were seen. The suspects also wore face masks when entering and leaving home.
The police eventually raided five locations in the Alicante and Valencia regions. Twelve suspects were arrested. This concerns eight Moroccans, three Dutch and one Spaniard. Two Moroccans are seen as the leaders of the drug network. Two Dutchmen played an important role in the ecstasy lab as chemists, according to the Spanish police.
Daycare
Other suspects were responsible for guarding or transporting the drugs from the laboratory to warehouses, which were registered as ‘childcare centers’, among other things. From there, the ecstasy was distributed to buyers. One of the suspects, who at the time still had a clean criminal record, rented the buildings. They used vehicles of different brands to stay out of sight of the police.
A total of 1,900 liters of MDMA (active ingredient of ecstasy) and 1,000 liters of precursors (chemical raw materials) used to produce ecstasy were seized. In addition, 1,000 liters of chemical waste was also confiscated. All this was good for the production of almost 2,200 kilos of pure ecstasy.
More than 100 million
The head of the narcotics brigade in Benidorm, Víctor Galvañ, stated according to Spanish media that the goods have a market value of more than 100 million euros. According to the police, the ecstasy was also intended for the Netherlands and other European countries.
The two Moroccans and two Dutch chemists cannot be released on bail. They are suspected of crimes against public health and membership of a criminal organization.
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