National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

and Romanians who already work in the Netherlands, it is not difficult to
understand how some of these immigrants end up on the illegal jobs market
in cannabis cultivation.
Technological developments
For years growers have been trying to maximise the yield per plant. Both
developments in the agricultural and horticultural sectors and developments
within their own sector have supported these efforts. Refinement and cloning
techniques have been optimised, for example, as have new growing methods.
These technological developments have resulted in a fivefold increase in the
yield per square metre compared to the early 1990s and there is more to come.
For example, insulation materials are now being used that were originally
developed by NASA and there are also fittings with LED lights that consume
much less power than normal assimilation lights. These developments could
make locating nurseries more difficult and growing more efficient.
Market developments
The expected developments in the nature and scale of cannabis cultivation
greatly depend on the level of (national) priority given to the subject, the
policy pursued and the implementation of measures. The theory of opportunism
appears to partly explain the massive increase in cannabis cultivation in recent
decades. Due to external factors, such as the wide availability of growing
materials, knowledge and advice, the relatively easy sale of the final product
and its economic value, combined with relatively mild penalties and a seemingly
limited risk of being caught, the scale of illegal cultivation of Nederweed
has increased enormously. This will not change much in the next few years.
The integrated fight against cannabis cultivation is expected to further reduce
the number of home growers. As a result, an increasing portion of cannabis
cultivation will be controlled by new criminal groups that are active on the
cannabis market.
2.5.7 Conclusion
Nederweed
The production of, trading in and smuggling of Nederweed together form
an extensive illegal market with many negative effects for Dutch society.
The availability of large sums of money is especially important in this regard.
The money can be reinvested in criminal activities. It is also laundered to form
a bridge to the legal world, which leads to the intertwining of legal and illegal
activities. In addition, many forms of fraud are committed, of which mortgage
fraud is only one example.
66 National Threat Assessment 2008 – Organised crime