Dutch firms imported designer drug materials from India

Dutch companies imported large amounts of designer drug materials from India, according to a new investigation.

The orders were placed between 2019 and 2025. They included finished substances, raw materials and products used to cut or mix drugs. In total, the investigation found more than 700 orders linked to 30 Dutch importers.

The total amount was 153,000 kg. The estimated street value of the substances that could be calculated is almost €2 billion.

Designer drugs are also known as research chemicals or new psychoactive substances. They are often made to look like illegal drugs while being slightly different at the chemical level. This can create a legal grey area until a substance is added to the Opium Act list.

That grey area has helped the market grow. Substances can be sold through webshops, foreign websites, closed platforms or messaging apps. When one website is taken offline, sellers can move to another domain or channel.

The public health risk is serious. These products are often marketed as legal or experimental, but that does not mean they are safe. Some substances have been linked to addiction, high blood pressure, heart problems, psychosis, seizures, coma and death.

The story also shows how international the Dutch drug market has become. A substance can be designed or produced abroad, imported into the Netherlands, packed into small amounts and sold online to buyers in several countries.

Authorities have taken action against webshops before. But the investigation suggests that enforcement is difficult when sellers move abroad or switch to closed channels.

The wider issue is speed. New substances can appear faster than laws and inspections can react. That creates a race between chemistry, online sales and public health protection.

The next question is whether Dutch and European rules can become faster and broader, without creating loopholes that sellers can use again.