Federal judicial police in Halle-Vilvoorde have dismantled a clandestine drug laboratory producing crystal meth in a warehouse in Halle, the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor's office announced on Monday.
On Friday, Belgian authorities, helped by intelligence-sharing with the Dutch, uncovered a large, elaborate drug laboratory.
"Under the direction of the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor's office and thanks to cooperation and information exchange with the Dutch authorities, the federal judicial police dismantled a clandestine drug laboratory on Friday," judicial police spokesperson Mélanie Geeraerts said.
"The laboratory was producing crystal meth, an extremely addictive hard drug."
One suspect who was present during the police operation fled the scene. Despite an immediate search involving a police helicopter and sniffer dogs, the individual remains at large.
The Federal Police's specialised Clan Lab Response Unit was deployed to dismantle the site safely, working alongside Belgium's Civil Protection service.
Belgian authorities have reported a sharp rise in the number of synthetic drug laboratories in recent years, reflecting the growing presence of crystal meth on the European drugs market.
