Education Start of new Tackling Synthetic Drugs course Written on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 A new training course, Tackling Synthetic Drugs, started this week. During this five-day course, students learn about all aspects of synthetic drugs including production, distribution, proceeds, cooperation between organised crime groups, export and waste, and of course also the options for investigation. Andy van der Meurs is a Sergeant at the The Hague police unit and one of the participants in the course. ‘I’m sure this course will deepen my knowledge of the subject, and I will benefit a great deal from it in practice.’ Synthetic drugs like ecstasy and amphetamine are made from substances that do not occur naturally. These drugs may have a stimulant or consciousness-altering effect, or their effect may be purely anaesthetic. Production of synthetic drugs creates enormous risks, such as explosions at the production site, inhalation of fumes, exploitation of people and release of highly toxic waste into the environment. The number of production sites in the Netherlands is increasing. In 2023, 151 production sites were discovered, which is an increase of no less than 44 percent compared to 2022. What makes matters worse is that these sites are increasingly found in residential areas. ‘Everything about synthetic drugs is harmful’, says Rik Oude Egberink of the Netherlands Police Academy. Rik is a member of the Specialist Criminal Investigations Team, Weapons and Drugs Cluster. Multi-billion industry Police in the Netherlands and other countries have devoted a large part of their resources to combating drug-related crime in recent years. However, the Netherlands remains an important hub in the global drug market. Various types of drugs are imported, transited, exported and produced here. Oude Egberink: ‘There is a whole world of crime behind drugs that incites violence and corruption. We’re also seeing the emergence of powerful synthetic drugs, new drug mixtures and evolving use patterns. All this constitutes a growing threat with ever-increasing health risks, such as the risk of deadly poisoning.’ ‘This is why this training is so important. We must ensure that this form of crime remains manageable. We noticed a demand for more knowledge about the production and tackling of synthetic drugs from the police units, caused among other things by the fact that some colleagues have to enter high-risk locations. If you know more about this particular drug problem, you will have a better idea of what goes on in your environment.’ Crime scripting Colleagues from the Police Academy and from the field worked closely together on developing this new course, which is the sequel to the Tackling Drug Crime - Basic course. The new course addresses ‘crime scripting’ among other things. This method teaches participants to analyse the steps criminals take to commit a crime. Oude Egberink: ‘You analyse what the logistics chain looks like from production to distribution. So, what knowledge and resources are necessary for production? What locations do they use for production, transport and storage? What people are needed to get these things done? For example, facilitators, notaries, owners of warehouses, et cetera.’ This knowledge can help the police in working out what is the best way and the best time to disrupt criminal activities. Training centre The course is taught at a training facility set up to resemble a production site. Oude Egberink: ‘It’s as if students enter a real drug lab: a large warehouse with all sorts of equipment for producing drugs and spaces for storage and distribution. Participant Andy van der Meurs: ‘During the basic course in Tackling Drug Crime, we visited such a site. You see all the equipment and smell the strong synthetic odours of such a lab. All very instructive. That basic course really motivated me to learn more about synthetic drugs and how to handle them.’ ‘My first next step will be to share the knowledge I am going to acquire with the students and the colleagues of the frontline policing team. Maybe there is an interesting future role for me as an overall coordinator of drug cases in my unit.’ Oude Egberink: ‘This course will improve the quality of investigations into this type of drug-related crime, thereby contributing to the fight against this form of undermining crime.’ Tackling Synthetic Drugs course The course is offered four times per year. There is room for twenty students per edition. Click for more information about the Tackling Synthetic Drugs course (in Dutch).