Interesting that so many fellow Dutch people being surprised "that kind of stuff can happen over here". They seem to forget we're the main worldwide exporter of XTC and a huge distributor for other drugs.
I should have made it more clear I indeed mean the association with the violent crime.
the sentiment I've heard a lot is people see the drugs as a business and the violent, ruthless sides of it are something that mostly happens in Latin America like you see on "Narcos".
Interesting. Nobody I know is surprised by this stuff. Maybe it's because we're in the Randstad area and aware of the strings of liquidations that have been happening in Amsterdam? Not to mention the recent high-profile arrest of Taghi who grew up near Utrecht.
All fallout from the war on drugs. I wish lawmakers would see that prohibition does nothing to curb drug production and use. It just pushes everything underground where a vast market is controlled by ruthless gangs who think nothing of torture and murder. We should accept that a) humans have used drugs for millennia and hoping this will just stop is hopelessly naive, b) invest in actually helping people who’re struggling with addiction instead of criminalising them. Also, as a bonus, c) explore medical uses for substances currently banned.
More and more Latin American criminals directly involved here as well. If anybody is still surprised about this they haven't been paying much attention the last decade or two.
