Materials for a billion Ecstasy pills seized by Dutch police

Dutch police said they seized enough materials to make a billion Ecstasy pills in a truck near the border with Belgium on Thursday, Reuters reports.

The haul, which included 100 canisters of hydrogen, 15 tons of caustic soda and 3,000 litres of other chemicals, was worth several hundred thousand euro on its own, the force said on Twitter.

Op donderdagavond zijn 3 mannen aangehouden in @nieuwegein. In een auto werd een grote hoeveelheid chemicaliën aangetroffen. pic.twitter.com/4fXVgw3VnR

— WoordvPolitie LE (@woordvpolitieTA) February 9, 2017

Officers said they found it in the village of Rilland, in the southern province of Zeeland, about 80 km south of Rotterdam and 40 km north of Antwerp.

Police say drugs pass through both ports and the Netherlands is known as one of the world's major manufacturing centres for Ecstasy.

Police did not give an estimate of the street value of the drug or say if anyone was arrested.