German police shut major amphetamine labs as Germany supplies Denmark

German police have closed at least 10 large amphetamine laboratories since the start of 2025, while experts say Germany is an important source of the drug for Denmark. DR’s review found that two of the laboratories were about 150 kilometres from Denmark.

Police found one laboratory on a residential street in Germany last year, where large quantities of amphetamine were being produced. The closures were documented by DR for its programme “Kriminelt: Esbjerg på speed”.

Professor Henrik Vigh, a global crime researcher at the University of Copenhagen, said a large share of the amphetamine on the Danish market comes from Germany, as well as through the Netherlands. Recent wastewater samples show particularly widespread use in Slagelse, Copenhagen SV, Esbjerg and Køge.

Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit says amphetamine is smuggled into the country mainly across the land border with Germany. Organised criminal networks often use freight companies, while individuals also bring the drug into Denmark in private vehicles, the unit said.

However, closing laboratories may not have a major effect on the Danish market, said Thomas Friis Søgaard, a lecturer at Aarhus University’s Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research. He said other laboratories may remain undetected.

Søgaard said the Netherlands was historically a hub for amphetamine production, but that production began shifting to Germany a few years ago. Most of the laboratories that have been closed were in western Germany, near Belgium and the Netherlands, which still account for a large share of production in Europe, he said.

Vigh said small laboratories are relatively easy to establish because components can be shipped in and the drug produced locally. Denmark has also had domestic amphetamine production. In 2022, two men from eastern Jutland were sentenced to 16 and 18 years in prison for producing and reselling at least 316 kilograms of the drug.

Vigh said it was difficult to estimate how much of the amphetamine used in Denmark was produced domestically or abroad, and argued that efforts to address the drug market must look beyond national borders. Germany’s customs office told DR that production at the laboratories closed so far had not immediately shown links to Denmark.

Amphetamine is related to cocaine and methamphetamine. Its effects can include euphoria, increased energy and restlessness, while heavy use can lead to anxiety, depression and psychosis. Non-medical use, sale and production are illegal.