Drug-making chemicals ‘flooding into Europe’

CRIMINAL gangs are trafficking massive quantities of drug-making chemicals into Europe, according to a specialist EU police unit.

Ireland has become the latest EU country to be hit by the highly profitable trade following a €500 million seizure in Dublin this week of precursors the chemicals used to create synthetic drugs like Ecstasy.

"It's a massive industry, a global industry, with many, many supply routes," said Les Fiander, co-ordinator of the European Joint Unit on Precursors (EJUP).