Over the course of the investigation, authorities seized 1 000 tonnes of chemicals, potentially removing 300 tonnes of synthetic drugs from the EU drug market.
A large-scale law enforcement action, conducted within the Europol-coordinated operation Fabryka, led to the dismantling of a criminal network operating across the European Union. On Friday, 16 January, coordinated efforts took place in Poland, as well as in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. These actions targeted a network suspected of importing a large quantity of precursors used for the production of synthetic drugs in labs across multiple countries. Additionally, the network engaged in money laundering activities to further its illicit operations. The year-long operation Fabryka involved law enforcement and judicial authorities from Belgium, Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement authorities determined that the network may have imported over 1 000 tonnes of precursors – enough to produce over 300 tonnes of synthetic drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine, and cathinone. The illegal activities are estimated to generate billions in criminal profits for the involved criminal networks. The criminal assets flow into the legal economy, creating significant risks of market distortion, unfair competition, and the systematic infiltration of legitimate businesses by organised crime.
The investigation commenced in 2024 based on intelligence shared by the Polish Police, specifically from the Drug Crime Unit of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław. The information supplied by the Lower Silesian police officers was pivotal in initiating the case and facilitating subsequent international cooperation within the taskforce. Between February 2025 and January 2026, over 20 action days were conducted, targeting connected criminal groups, their production facilities, and storage sites across Europe. The operation culminated in a coordinated action day against the alleged wholesale network responsible for importing and distributing precursor chemicals.
This network was responsible for the importation, repackaging, and distribution of precursors used in the production of synthetic drugs. The chemicals, sourced from China and India, entered the EU through various countries and were transported to Poland for repackaging and further distribution to illegal labs across the EU. Since the beginning of the investigation in 2024, Europol supported action days targeting different cells of the network as well as connected groups involved in lab production of synthetic drugs.
Results from the action day on 16 January 2026:
- 20 arrests (1 in Germany, and 19 in Poland);
- 2 High Value Targets included in the number of the arrests;
- 50 house searches (2 in Belgium, 2 in Germany, 45 including 4 distribution centres in Poland, 1 in the Netherlands);
- Seizures include 9 vehicles, real estate estimated at EUR 2.5 million, vast amounts of chemicals and precursors, an active marijuana cultivation with over 2 000 plants.
Overall results from all action days (from February 2025 to January 2026) include more than:
- 20 action days;
- 85 arrests;
- 100 searches;
as well as:
- 50 delivery locations identified;
- 24 industrial-scale laboratories dismantled;
- 16 storage locations found;
- Multiple seizures:
- About EUR 500 000
- 3 559 kilograms and 982 litres of drugs (including 4-CMC, cathinone, MDMA, amphetamine oil)
- Over 120 000 litres of toxic chemical waste
- 1 000 tonnes of precursors (chemicals used for the production of synthetic drugs)
Large-scale chemical import business serving illegal drug labs
The operational structure of this criminal network was complex, with seven legal companies in Poland facilitating the import and distribution activities, and high-level leadership coordination connecting the different criminal groups across EU countries. In some cases, the same criminal cells operating within the larger network managed both the logistics for the supply of precursors and the coordination of production in clandestine labs. The primary criminal network targeted by this investigation is predominantly composed of Polish nationals, with involvement from a few Belgian and Dutch nationals operating within interconnected groups.
The starting point was the importation of legal chemicals commonly used in industries such as the pharmaceutical sector. However, the volumes imported into Europe were exceptionally high, giving rise to strong suspicions that they by far exceeded the legitimate needs of EU-based industries. This concern was reinforced by the fact that only minimal quantities of these chemicals are actually required and used in lawful industrial processes. During repackaging, the chemicals were largely mislabelled to facilitate their distribution to production sites, a practice that clearly indicated criminal intent.
Toxic waste – the environmental cost of synthetic drugs
The criminal activities generated a substantial amount of toxic waste, which was either stored at the production sites or dumped in the ground, posing significant environmental concerns. Illegal laboratories for synthetic drugs generate waste volumes that can be 5 to 30 times larger in quantity than the end product. This waste represents thousands of litres of solvents, acids, bases, and reaction residues for a single production run. When this waste is dumped on land or in ditches, streams, or sewers, it can rapidly change pH and oxygen levels, killing soil organisms, fish, and aquatic invertebrates, disrupting local food chains. Groundwater can be contaminated for many years or even decades. Inside production sites, workers, residents, responders, and neighbours face high concentrations of toxic, corrosive, flammable and sometimes explosive chemicals.
Europol taskforce to tackle the proliferation of synthetic drugs
At the end of 2024, Europol established a taskforce to target the production and distribution of synthetic drugs across the EU. Operation Fabryka is one of the investigations under this dedicated taskforce, with many of the cases linked to that major investigation. The work of the taskforce led to the identification of links between companies and individuals, production sites, and supply chains.
On the latest action day, Europol set up a coordination centre at its headquarters to steer and support the activities on the ground. In parallel, three Europol experts were deployed to Poland to provide real-time analytical, technical, and operational expertise to investigators in the field. Law enforcement officials from the various participating countries were also present. Europol contributed substantial financial support, enabling the organisation of operational meetings, the deployment of investigators as well as the execution of coordinated field actions.
EU efforts against the production and distribution of synthetic drugs
The EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU SOCTA) 2025 identifies the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs as a rapidly escalating threat, positioning the European Union at the centre of the global synthetic drugs market. EU-based production increasingly supplies both internal and international markets, driven by high demand, continuous innovation, and the expansion of criminal activities across more EU Member States. Production ranges from industrial-scale facilities to a growing number of small, mobile laboratories. Criminal networks systematically exploit legal business structures to obtain chemicals and equipment, often through legitimate pharmaceutical and chemical supply chains.
The European Commission has strengthened the EU’s response to the growing threat of synthetic drugs and their precursors through the EU Action Plan against Drug Trafficking 2026–2030, adopted in December 2025. Synthetic drugs and precursors are identified as one of six priority areas, reflecting rising concerns over potent opioids and new psychoactive substances. Key measures focus on closing legal loopholes on designer precursors and assessing the EU legal framework on drug trafficking. Through actions 12 and 13, the plan aims to reinforce legal structures, tighten precursor controls and disrupt criminal supply chains, enhancing public safety across the EU.
Operation Fabryka – participating authorities:
- Belgium: Federal Judicial Police (Federale Politie / Police Fédérale)
- Czechia: Czech Police (Policie České republiky)
- Germany: Customs Investigation Department (Zollfahndungsamt Hannover); Police Lower Saxony (Polizei Niedersachsen, ZKI Osnabrueck)
- Netherlands: The Financial and Tax Crime Investigation Service (De opsporingsdienst van financiële en fiscale criminaliteit – FIOD); (Landelijk Internationaal Rechtshulp Centrum – LIRC), National Police (Politie – National criminal investigations and specials operations)
- Poland: Polish Police (Policja); The National Public Prosecutor’s Office (Prokuratura Krajowa); National Tax Administration (Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa)
- Spain: Spanish National Police (Policía National)
