Braunschweig, Germany, Nov 11, (dpa/GNA) – German police said on Tuesday, that they uncovered a professional laboratory for the production of synthetic drugs in Lower Saxony, and detained suspects in both Germany and the Netherlands in a coordinated operation.
Authorities said in a statement that the illegal facility was located in the north-western German state of Lower Saxony, which shares a border with the Netherlands. A gang consisting mainly of Dutch nationals is believed to have operated the laboratory.
German police said they provisionally detained four people, and executed an arrest warrant for another suspect.
In the Netherlands, three suspects were detained on the basis of arrest warrants, the police announced later in the day.
Investigators seized 130 litres of an amphetamine precursor, an amount officials said is equivalent to the total quantity of that substance seized across Germany in 2024.
Police estimate that the material could be used to produce roughly 1.5 million individual doses, with a wholesale or street value in the tens of millions of euros.
Special forces carried out searches simultaneously at multiple properties, with officers searching eight locations in Lower Saxony and nine in the Netherlands.
Specialized police units discovered the currently unused laboratory, during these coordinated raids.
Authorities say the investigation has been ongoing since December 2024, and has involved international cooperation, including with Europol.
GNA