Dutch police find 4 kilogram “sink” made entirely of MDMA in drug bust
Police made an unusual discovery during a drug investigation this week when they found four kilograms of MDMA molded to look like a sink. The case led to the arrests of a 35-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman for possession of ecstasy pills, MDMA, and a firearm in Zwijndrecht on Thursday, according to a police statement.
Officers working as part of a specialized national police unit spotted a car leaving a home that morning in Zwijndrecht, a Zuid-Holland city just west of Dordrecht and south of Rotterdam. They pulled the car over as part of a traffic stop, and quickly found six kilograms of amphetamines. This led to the arrest of the 35-year-old man from Nijmegen.
The officers returned back to their initial stakeout position, and spotted a woman leaving the same home while carrying a box. Police said she placed this next to a garbage bin.
"A loaded firearm was found in the box, as further investigation revealed. The woman had probably been warned after the man from Nijmegen was arrested," police said in the statement.
"In another box that was next to the dumpster was a 'sink' made of almost 4 kilograms of MDMA. The 33-year-old woman was immediately arrested and locked up for questioning," police said.
Both suspects were expected to be interrogated on Friday.
Man on FBI's most wanted list arrested in Mexico
March 18 (UPI) -- Authorities in Mexico have arrested Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, an alleged leader of the MS-13 criminal organization and a suspect on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Roman-Bardales, 47, was arrested on the Teocelo-Baxtla highway, according to a joint statement Monday from the Defense Ministry, Navy, Attorney General's Office, National Guard and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection.
The statement said Roman-Bardales had been informed of the reason for his arrest and read his legal rights. He was to be transferred to Mexico City to "appear before the relevant authorities before being deported to the United States, where he is wanted."
Little was known about Roman-Bardales' arrest.
The Mexican authorities said it was the result of national cooperation and ongoing investigations "aimed at capturing individuals responsible for generating violence."
During the investigation, authorities learned that Roman-Bardales was operating in Baxtla, located in southeastern Veracruz state.
"With this information, work teams were deployed to carry out fixed, mobile and discreet surveillance, which resulted in the suspect's arrest on the highway, they said.
Roman-Bardales, a native of El Salvadorian(sic), is on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list.
He is wanted on a Sept. 22, 2022, indictment charging him and 12 for being high-ranking members of the MS-13 criminal organization.
He has been charged with conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, narco-terrorism conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy and alien smuggling conspiracy.
The indictment states Roman-Bardales is a "long-time high-ranking member" of the gang who provided directions to members in the United States.
The arrest comes as Mexico has ramped up law enforcement activities targeting drug cartels under pressure of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which imposed mass tariffs on Mexican goods due to narcotics and undocumented migrants crossing into the United States via the shared border.
Late last month, Mexico transferred 29 alleged drug cartel suspects to the United States.
Is it possible to clean up Mexico? I would be very surprised!
Amsterdam still the drug capital of the Netherlands,
sewage analysis shows
The highest levels of residues from drugs like MDMA, cannabis, and ketamine in all of Europe were measured in Amsterdam's sewage water last year. The concentrations were also relatively high in other cities in the Netherlands, comparison research from the European Drug Agency EUDA showed.
When it comes to MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy pills, other Dutch cities also ended up high on the list. Antwerp followed Amsterdam, then came Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Groningen on this section of the list.
Samples were taken from sewage water of 128 cities in order to conduct the research last year. The research showed that MDMA, cocaine, and amphetamines were seen more often on average than a year prior. There was a reduction in the amount of cannabis traces.
Sin is progressive!
There are significant differences among European countries. Residues of cocaine were seen the most in Antwerp. Methamphetamine usage seems to be most widespread in the Czech Republic. The top six cities with the highest concentrations of the drug were in the country.
The measures show that usage of drugs like MDMA, cocaine, and ketamine peaks at the weekend and on Mondays. With methamphetamine, use is more evenly distributed throughout the week.
This indicates that the latter drug is also used by users during the week, while other drugs are mainly used in leisure time. Cannabis is still used the most, despite the decrease in the measurements, the researchers wrote.
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