Dutch police dismantle nearly 16 marijuana plantations a day
Tracking marijuana producers has become a cat and mouse game between criminals and the police
Thursday, July 21, 2016
The police dismantled 5,856 marijuana plantations last year, or nearly 16 a day, according to NRC newspaper. Police estimate this is only one fifth of the total. In 2014, police busted about 6,000 marijuana cultivation sites. John Jespers, who heads the police marijuana team, said it would be an illusion to think that the police would be able to discover all the plantations. Detecting the plantations has become more difficult because growers are increasingly using special tents to hide the heat and smell. (See also: Empty barns popular with drugs gangs, farmers regularly approached | Dutch police raided nearly 6,000 cannabis grows last year, still can’t keep up)