Six years in prison for crystal meth production

The court in The Hague sentenced three men from Mexico to six years in prison for involvement in the production of crystal meth. The men were caught in the act of producing meth in a warehouse in in Wateringen on February 26 last year. 

The suspects came to the Netherlands from Mexico. They were transported to the warehouse every day in February 2019 to produce the highly addictive drug, according to the court.

Their lawyers argued that the suspects were forced to work in the lab and that they were exploited. But the court did not find this plausible, pointing out that the suspects worked in the lab unsupervised, that they had the key to the apartment where they were staying, and at least one phone with which to send encrypted messages. 

"It is certainly so that life in Mexico is not always easy and that there is great temptation to earn a royal salary, by Mexican standards, in the Netherlands," the court said. "However, the court does not find that an excuse."

The court pointed out that crystal meth is "perhaps the drug most dangerous to public health" currently on the market. "It is highly addictive and this drug has an almost devastating effect on the human body. That is why a substantial six-year unconditional prison sentence is appropriate," the court said.