Mexican cartels dominate drug trafficking in North America but many are expanding their operations into the Netherlands. The small European nation is a global trading hub and one of the world’s largest producers of synthetic drugs.
Cocaine remains the most popular illicit drug according to a 2019 European Union report, but Dutch authorities reported a surge in crystal meth distribution over the past two years that was largely attributed to Mexican “cooks” teaching local chemists and technicians how to produce the drug.