eLesson: Illicit drugs laboratories - Dump sites

The illegal production of cannabis and synthetic drugs within the European Union (EU) generates significant amounts of waste that are frequently dumped in public spaces.

According to the 2021 EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA), the Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia and Slovakia are key hubs of synthetic drug production in the EU and are particularly affected by the repercussions of the illegal dumping of toxic waste.

The 2019 EU Drug Markets Report identified waste dump sites as an important part of the overall European illegal drug chain. Dumping waste can present logistical problems for illegal drug producers, and organised crime groups (OCGs) sometimes use measures such as exploiting open borders to dump waste in neighbouring countries. The criminals involved in the dumping of illegal drug waste have been linked to various other offences, including fraud, tax evasion, corruption, money laundering and theft.

This eLesson delivers a virtual tour of illegal cannabis and synthetic drug waste dump sites, detailing their identifying characteristics; the steps that must be taken during investigation and clean-up; the essential safety measures required by law enforcement officials and specialists at the scene; the scale of the problem within the EU; the environmental and financial costs; and the involvement of OCGs. These topics can be explored by browsing a series of interactive hotspots that are linked to photos, explanatory texts and videos. The tour can be taken from any computer or mobile device, and by using virtual reality goggles.

The eLesson also contains a glossary of terms and abbreviations, and a job aid with concrete tips and suggestions for law enforcement officials who encounter suspected illicit cannabis and synthetic drug waste dump sites.

eLearners can check their levels of understanding of the topic by considering a selection of quiz questions. Upon successful completion of the session, participants will obtain a badge and certificate.

The learning outcomes of this eLesson are to:

1. Recall the main characteristics of dump sites from both cannabis cultivation waste and synthetic drugs waste as well as its impact on the environment, public health and society.
2. Detail the steps involved in approaching and cleaning a drug waste dump site as well as listing who needs to be involved in each of these steps.
3. List evidential value of different UN codes, traces, marks, labels, mislabelling of any artefacts found at dump sites and methodologies of criminals dumping drug waste for future prosecutions.
4. Describe the hazards emerging in drug waste dump sites and countering measures to take when approaching these sites.
5. Explain the safety measures and preventive steps to take by non-specialist law enforcement officers approaching suspected drug waste dump sites.

Estimated study time: 60 minutes

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