National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

the expectation that organised crime involved in importing hash would be
concentrating more and more on the production and sale of Nederweed.
The bulletin stated that there was a risk of the Netherlands becoming an
exporter of Nederweed because of the large scale of its Nederweed harvest.
This expectation has proven correct. In 2007 the production of Nederweed
grew into an illegal business sector that should not be underestimated.
A number of logistical steps are involved in the production process: organising
a suitable growing location and suitable equipment, setting up the growing
location, carrying out the growing process, harvesting, selling the harvest,
transporting and distributing the final product, and finally selling Nederweed
via sales points that are tolerated by the authorities.
There are many types of growing locations and they are found in every
conceivable place: above-ground and underground, on ships and in sheds, from
Delfzijl to Maastricht. Locations are owned or rented. Some growers have set
up the attics of their houses as nurseries, whereas others use entire buildings
to grow the Nederweed. A glasshouse horticulturalist with cannabis between
the chrysanthemums, caravan camp residents with nurseries in the back garden
and estate agents who deal in property that includes cannabis nurseries are just
a few examples of real-life situations. There are broadly four different types
of growing locations: houses, locations on industrial estates, remote locations
in thinly populated areas and boats.
Cannabis nurseries are found throughout the country. In urban areas they are
located mainly in houses (rented or owned) and (company) premises, and in rural
areas they can be found in large open spaces. In Belgium a growing number of
cannabis nurseries are being found in which Dutch people are involved. Similar
reports are also being received from Germany and Poland. In these cases Dutch
expertise is being exported.
The cannabis sector is becoming more and more professional. This is shown
in various ways. Firstly, an extremely high level of expertise has been reached in
terms of refinement techniques. Secondly, the set-up of growing locations is also
extremely professional. Thirdly, cannabis growers are organising and carrying
out their activities in a professional manner. There are examples of criminal
organisations that control the entire production chain, from slipping, growing
and drying all the way to cutting. Some also own a grow shop or coffee shop,
which means that the Nederweed can be sold easily, or they control their own
transport line, which they use to export the Nederweed.
Grow shops are increasingly important because these suppliers of growing
equipment are increasingly playing a supporting or central role in the
organisation of home growing and the distribution to the retail trade.
Grow shops are an important link in the trade in and distribution of cannabis,
56 National Threat Assessment 2008 – Organised crime