1 anonymous tip leads police to almost 10,000 pre-rolled joints in the Zaanstreek
Someone noticed boxes coming and going at a residential care complex. Police then found almost 10,000 pre-rolled joints in a car and at the driver's home.
Police in the Zaanstreek, the area just north of Amsterdam, say 1 anonymous tip led them to almost 10,000 pre-rolled joints. The local team described the case on Instagram on 4 November.
It started with a report to Meld Misdaad Anoniem, the Dutch tip line for reporting crime without giving your name. Someone had noticed that boxes were regularly brought to a residential care complex, stored there and later picked up. A special police team took up the information.
Officers then stopped and checked a man driving away from the complex. Several closed boxes stood in his car, and police say the smell of cannabis was already a clue. They found nearly 8,800 pre-rolled joints. Nearly 1,000 more were at the driver’s home. Police suspect the man of dealing drugs.
Why the location matters
Mainly elderly people and people with care needs live in the complex, police say, which is why they are especially glad someone reported it. They also point to the back door of coffee shops, saying it does not make every storage location acceptable.
The back door is the gap in Dutch policy. Coffee shops may sell small amounts of cannabis under strict conditions, yet growing it and supplying it to those shops is illegal.
The government is testing a way to close that gap. Zaanstad, the main municipality in the Zaanstreek, is 1 of 10 municipalities in an experiment where coffee shops sell regulated cannabis from designated growers. Police did not link this case to the experiment.
What is not known
The police post gives no name, no exact location and no date for the find. It also does not say who the joints were meant for or what happened to the man afterwards.
How to report something
Police say you do not need to investigate anything yourself, because sharing information can be enough. You can contact Meld Misdaad Anoniem online or on 0800-7000 without giving your name.
