'Mexican Crystal Meth Cooks No Longer Needed In The Netherlands'

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

The presence of Mexican crystal meth cooks in the Netherlands is negligible after the method of producing the hard drug became known and they are no longer needed. This is according to a book by Flemish journalist Arthur Debruyne.

Arthur Debruyne states this, following the release of his book "The Mexican Method, The Invisible Advance of Crystal Meth in The Rural Areas" (Ambo Anthos, 2023). Debruyne wrote the book about the work of these cooks, partly in response to the arrest of several Mexican meth cooks in recent years.

Breaking bad

Debruyne became interested in the cooks through the series "Breaking Bad," he told NPO Radio 1 on the news program Nieuwsweekend. This gave him the idea that the Mexicans in the series were mainly viewed "through the lens of fiction, with all kinds of cliches. As a result, he became curious about the reality behind it.

Debruyne: 'In that reality, the cooks often work without protective masks, causing them to hallucinate, for example. They also always play second fiddle; they were brought here by the Dutch, because they understand how to produce the meth as efficiently as possible. The Dutch then provide the locations, the raw materials, the sites and the hardware.'

Lots of money

The journalist also spoke with cooks himself, at the prison for foreign inmates in Ter Apel. 'Diego and Victor were two normal men, raised in the drug-producing state of Durango in Mexico. Men with families, who saw the Netherlands as an opportunity to make a lot of money quickly, coming from a country where drug production is tolerated. And where even government figures benefit. This is in fact disguised state aid. In Mexico the penalties are harsh. Whereas in the Netherlands they were relatively low.'

But the cooks are now no longer needed. Debruyne: 'The producers in the Netherlands have figured out their trick for maximum profits by now. However, Mexican nationals did their best to keep it a secret.'

The book also includes Crimesite's revelation, about the earlier conviction of one of the cooks in the United States, as a result of which justice has now demanded a maximum prison sentence against him.

Crime Site