Most heroin found in the Netherlands comes from South-West Asia. In most cases Turkish criminal organisations are involved. The share of heroin smuggling accounted for by Chinese groups has declined. The drug is often smuggled in lorries. Countries in Central and Eastern Europe are playing an increasing role in the storage and distribution of heroin. Cars are increasingly often being used for smuggling from storage points in those countries. There is good cooperation between investigation services on tackling smuggling on the Balkan route, via Eastern Europe and Germany, and Greece and Italy. A Dutch liaison officer has been posted to Turkey.
The cocaine sold in the Netherlands comes primarily from Colombia and Venezuela. Various countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, including the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, are involved in exports. Colombian organisations, often from Cali, control most shipments to Europe. Countries in Eastern and Central Europe also appear likely to play an important role in cocaine trafficking in the future.
As already stated, the Netherlands has for years been an important producer of amphetamines*. 75% of amphetamines seized in Germany in the early months of 1994 came from the Netherlands. The figure was 90% for compounds such as ecstasy.
The Netherlands had to deal with the illegal dumping of waste from drug laboratories. One of the dismantled laboratories had a capacity of about half a million ecstasy tablets per day*. The number of investigations of producers of synthetic drugs has increased in recent years. One of the five special teams set up to investigate organised crime is working in particular on combating production of and trafficking in synthetic drugs.