Kempen region cracks down on drug crime: €1.1 million seized and 28 dealers arrested in 2025
Residents in the Kempen region can breathe easier as authorities dismantled 12 cannabis sites, seized over €1.1 million in criminal assets, and arrested 28 drug dealers in 2025. The joint effort by local governments and law enforcement aims to protect communities from fire hazards and drug-related crime.
| Key Result | Details |
|---|---|
| Cannabis cultivation sites | 12 dismantled, 8 involved electricity theft (fire hazard) |
| Drug locations discovered | 8 with commercial quantities of drugs |
| Drug houses closed | 19 temporarily shut down |
| Arrests | 28 drug dealers apprehended |
| Enforcement orders | 13 imposed under penalty of a fine |
| Criminal assets seized | Over €1.1 million |
| Tax investigations | 7 conducted, resulting in €12.4 million in tax corrections |
| Anonymous reports | 95 received via Crime Stoppers campaign |
| Municipalities involved | Bergeijk, Best, Bladel, Eersel, Oirschot, Reusel-De Mierden, Veldhoven, Waalre |
Basisteam De Kempen, a collaboration of eight municipalities in Noord-Brabant, works alongside police, the Public Prosecution Service, and the Tax and Customs Administration to combat undermining crime. Their role includes enforcement, prevention, and strengthening local resilience against criminal activities.
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Read the full translated article below
Basisteam De Kempen takes firm action against undermining crime: over €1.1 million in criminal assets seized in 2025
Basisteam De Kempen achieved significant results in 2025 in its fight against undermining crime. The eight municipalities in the Kempen region – Bergeijk, Best, Bladel, Eersel, Oirschot, Reusel-De Mierden, Veldhoven and Waalre – worked closely together with the police, Public Prosecution Service, Tax and Customs Administration and various other partners.
Increasing pressure on rural areas
Rural areas remain vulnerable due to factors such as increasing vacancy and the decline in agricultural activity. Criminals are trying to take advantage of this. That is why in 2025 the basic team invested extra in raising awareness, contact with farmers and practical resilience. For example, a meeting was held with ZLTO chairpersons and a contribution was made to the province’s Brabant Op De Radar podcast.
Results
The joint approach led to valuable results. Among other things, the following were achieved:
- 12 cannabis cultivation sites dismantled, 8 of which involved electricity theft – situations posing a major fire hazard.
- 8 locations with commercial quantities of drugs discovered.
- 19 drug houses temporarily closed.
- 28 drug dealers arrested.
- 13 enforcement orders imposed under penalty of a fine.
- Over €1.1 million in criminal assets seized.
- 7 tax record investigations conducted by the Tax and Customs Administration, resulting in €12.4 million in tax corrections.
Preventive measures were also taken. With the Undermining Container, social media campaigns and participation in the national Crime Stoppers campaign, awareness increased. This led to 95 anonymous reports about drug-related crime.
The number of cannabis cultivation sites found has increased compared to last year. Notably, the sites are smaller in scale but are more often found in residential properties. This year, no drug labs were found within the basic team’s area; regionally and nationally, a decline in such labs has also been observed. Since the number of drug production locations depends on many factors, the current increases or decreases cannot yet be explained.
A resilient government
Finally, the eight municipalities invested in a resilient government, including a uniform Damocles policy (application of powers to temporarily close drug houses, among other things), setting up an internal structure to better follow up on signals of undermining, and training for employees.