European Police Break Up Major Synthetic Drug Ring In Six-Nation Crackdown

European law enforcement agencies have dismantled a large-scale synthetic drug network operating across multiple countries, arresting at least 85 suspects in what officials described as the “largest-ever operation” of its kind and a “massive blow” to organised crime.

The coordinated crackdown led to the shutdown of 24 industrial drug laboratories and the seizure of nearly 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to produce illicit substances such as MDMA, amphetamines and methamphetamine.

“I’ve been in this business for a while. This is by far the largest-ever operation we did against synthetic drug production and distribution,” said Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre, in an interview with AFP.
“I think this is genuinely a massive blow to organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking, specifically of synthetic drugs,” he added.

The year-long investigation brought together police forces from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Authorities confirmed that more than 85 people were arrested, including two suspected ringleaders from Poland.

The case first emerged in 2024 after Polish investigators flagged suspicious imports of large volumes of legal chemicals from China and India. Further inquiries revealed that the materials were being repackaged, falsely labelled and distributed across the EU to clandestine laboratories producing synthetic drugs.

While most of the suspects are Polish nationals, investigators believe Belgian and Dutch citizens also played roles in the network.

Kraag said the operation followed a “supply-chain strategy” aimed at cutting off access to key materials used in drug production.
“These criminal groups, they don’t have their supply anymore,” he told AFP.

Beyond the dangers posed by drug consumption, authorities highlighted the wider consequences of the trade, including violence, corruption and money laundering. The environmental toll was also significant, with police seizing over 120,000 litres of toxic chemical waste typically dumped into land or waterways.

“Today, it’s profit for criminals. Tomorrow, it’s pollution,” Kraag said.

Europol noted that further investigations are ongoing, warning that while this network was a major distributor, it is not the only one still operating.