Dutch police arrested eight suspects on Tuesday in investigations into cargo theft and synthetic drug production, following raids in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Officers carried out 10 searches in Eindhoven, Veldhoven, Alphen and Pelt, in Belgium.
The main suspect is a 42-year-old from Eindhoven.
Police said they already had information suggesting the man was involved in the sale and production of synthetic drugs and had arranged meetings with criminal contacts at his home.
Investigators used a range of technical surveillance methods, including recording and listening devices. After monitoring many of the conversations, police said they built up a detailed case that led to his arrest on Tuesday.
Four of the main suspect’s alleged criminal associates, aged between 28 and 48, were also arrested in Eindhoven and Veldhoven.
Earlier this year, authorities dismantled an amphetamine laboratory in Luijksgestel in the Netherlands and an MDMA laboratory in Höngen, Germany. The men arrested on Tuesday are suspected of involvement in the Luijksgestel lab.
During searches in Eindhoven and Veldhoven, police seized firearms, blunt and bladed weapons, and a small quantity of drugs.
A separate search in Pelt, carried out with Belgian police, led officers to a stolen motorhome, which was also seized.
Police also arrested the main suspect’s son and two other men, aged 24 and 26, on Tuesday.
According to police, the three younger men are suspected of several offences, including a series of cargo thefts, vandalism, the burning of a car and the theft of a large quantity of fireworks.
