The Hague drug‑lab suspects kept in custody after court extends detentions

Four men arrested in mid‑July for operating a large‑scale XTC production laboratory on Meidoornstraat in The Hague remain in pre‑trial detention. Police discovered the lab after a report of an odd smell, finding thousands of litres of chemicals, drug‑related waste and a substantial cash sum. The suspects – a 39‑year‑old from Voorburg, a 34‑year‑old also from Voorburg, a 71‑year‑old landlord from Leiden and a 44‑year‑old from The Hague – were brought before the Den Haag court, which extended their provisional sentences: the two younger men received an additional 14 days, the Leiden landlord 30 days, and the remaining suspects 90 days. Ongoing investigations focus on the chemicals to determine how long the lab had been operating and on the broader network behind the operation.