Page "Drug policy of the Netherlands" Paragraph 23

Despite the high priority given by the Dutch government to fighting illegal drug trafficking, the Netherlands continue to be an important transit point for drugs entering Europe.

The Netherlands are a major producer and leading distributor of cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and other synthetic drugs, and a medium consumer of illicit drugs.

Despite the crackdown by Interpol on traffic and illicit manufacture of temazepam, the country has also become a major exporter of illicit temazepam of the " jelly " variety, trafficking it to the United Kingdom and other European nations.

The Netherlands ' special synthetic drug unit, set up in 1997 to coordinate the fight against designer drugs, appears to be successful.

The government has intensified cooperation with neighbouring countries and stepped up border controls.

In recent years, it also introduced so-called 100 % checks and bodyscans at Schiphol Airport on incoming flights from Dutch overseas territories Aruba and Netherlands Antilles to prevent importing cocaine by means of swallowing balloons by mules.