Police smash European synthetic drug ring in 'largest-ever' op

The Hague: European police said Wednesday they had busted a major synthetic drug ring working across several countries in the largest ever operation...

The Hague: European police said Wednesday they had busted a major synthetic drug ring working across several countries in the "largest-ever operation" of its kind, striking a "massive blow" to organised crime.

Authorities dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth.

"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," Andy Kraag, head of Europol's European Serious Organised Crime Centre, told AFP in an interview.

"I think this is genuinely a massive blow to organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking, specifically of synthetic drugs," added Kraag.

The year-long operation involved police from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.