News report | 23-01-2026 | 10:23
On January 14, 2026, the North Holland police arrested a 38-year-old man from IJmuiden. The Public Prosecution Service suspects him of producing hundreds of thousands of MDMA pills and firearm possession. The suspect, together with a 34-year-old co-suspect from Haarlem, has since been presented to the examining magistrate, who decided that both suspects will remain in custody for the time being.
Search and Seizure
The investigation started following information obtained from encrypted messages from a SKY account of one of the suspects. This information was analyzed by the police crypto team, resulting in the arrests of the two suspects. During searches of their homes in IJmuiden and Haarlem, over 100 kilos of produced MDMA pills and an active pill press were found. These were seized along with data carriers, cash, firearms and ammunition, narcotics, a tablet press machine, and other raw materials for MDMA production.
The two suspects are in custody and the criminal investigation is ongoing. On January 28, the court chamber will decide on the continuation of the pre-trial detention. The homes of the two suspects have been closed by order of the municipalities.