The crystal meth lab that was discovered in July in Nederweert, so far the largest lab ever in the Netherlands, came into the picture after an undercover operation by the police. Criminals unknowingly used phone software marketed by the police.
This is evident from information from L1. Police only want to confirm that “encrypted messages” started the case.
Also read: Largest crystal meth lab in the Netherlands discovered in Nederweert
Suspects absent
On Tuesday, three men from Weert, aged 51, 35 and 28, were arrested for involvement in the meth lab. The police also raided a business building and five homes in Weert. Two firearms, cash and watches were seized. Two suspects were not present when the police raided.
“I can only confirm that a search was made in four properties of two of my clients,” says lawyer Gitte Stevens, who came to watch after the raids. “My clients reside abroad. I cannot and will not say more.”
Criminals Fooled
The police tracked down the lab through ANOM. This is an encrypted chat service that was launched by the police in 2021. However, users, including numerous criminals, believed it to be a genuine communication channel. The idea behind such a chat service is that you can communicate anonymously and that the police and the judiciary cannot crack the encrypted messages.
Read for months
ANOM came on the market after major messaging services such as EncroChat and Sky ECC were cracked by investigative services. With the disappearance of these popular chat servers, ANOM suddenly became a good alternative. As a result, unknowingly, criminals walked directly into the arms of the judiciary, which could read along with conversations for months and track the location of those involved.
Lab harmless
Still, it took seven months before alleged people involved in the drug lab in Nederweert were arrested. This is mainly due to police capacity: there are simply more major criminal cases in Limburg than there are people available to investigate them. In this case, it was decided to first defuse the lab, in order to arrest suspects later.
Huge street value
According to police, the lab produced about 100 kilograms of crystal meth every day. The police calculated that this yielded one million euros in trade value per day. crystal meth, or ice, is a synthetic drug that is often smoked and snorted. The drug is ‘family’ of speed, but is much more addictive.
In the Netherlands there are relatively few users; meth labs in our country usually produce for export. According to the police, this specific lab was very professionally equipped. Holes had also been drilled in a concrete floor, into which chemical waste was dumped.
First big case
As far as is known, this is the first major Limburg case resulting from undercover operation ANOM. During the first interrogation, the arrested suspects were also confronted on Tuesday with conversations that they would have had via the chat service. Attorney Suzanne Kurvers, who represents one of the suspects, does not want to say anything about the case or the role of ANOM in it.