European law enforcement agencies have busted a large synthetic drug trafficking network operating across several countries, arresting more than 85 suspects and dealing what authorities describe as a major setback to organized crime in Europe.
The coordinated action involved police forces in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, with Europol playing a central role in intelligence sharing and operational support.
The crackdown followed an extensive investigation that uncovered a complex supply chain used to produce and distribute synthetic drugs.
The operation, which lasted about a year, began after security agencies detected suspicious imports of chemical substances into Europe in 2024.
Investigations later revealed that these chemicals were being repackaged, mislabelled, and redistributed across the European Union to labs that manufactured the synthetic drugs.
During the operation, police dismantled dozens of illegal laboratories and confiscated large volumes of chemicals diverted from legitimate trade and used to manufacture drugs such as MDMA, methamphetamine, and amphetamine.
Reacting to the arrests, head of Europol’s European Serious Organized Crime Centre, Andy Kraag, said the scale of the operation was unprecedented.
“This is by far the biggest action we have ever carried out against synthetic drug production and distribution,” he said, adding that the criminal groups affected had lost their supply lines.
Kraag also warned that the impact of synthetic drugs goes beyond public health, linking the trade to violence, corruption, environmental damage, and money laundering.
He noted that authorities seized tens of thousands of litres of toxic waste usually dumped illegally by drug producers, stressing that law enforcement would continue to track down other networks still operating.
Police said further arrests are possible as investigations continue, signaling that the operation is part of a broader effort to dismantle synthetic drug networks across Europe.
