Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Europol Details Largest-Ever EU Action Against Synthetic-Drug Network

The agency says a year-long supply‑chain probe targeted precursor logistics to choke production at its source.

Overview

  • Authorities report more than 85 arrests, including two suspected leaders from Poland, after coordinated raids across multiple countries.
  • Investigators dismantled 24 industrial laboratories and seized about 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and methamphetamine.
  • Police from Belgium, Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain took part, with a major coordinated enforcement push on 16 January 2026.
  • The probe focused on importing, repackaging and distributing precursors, with chemicals sourced from countries including China and India, repackaged in Poland, and moved using legal fronts and false labels.
  • Dutch authorities under the Landelijk Parket, including FIOD and national police units, tied domestic raids to the case—linking a June lab bust in Scheemda and a Breda search requested by Poland—while Europol says further targets are under investigation.