Walters Says Netherlands Too Soft On Ecstasy Smuggling October 2, 2003
News Summary
John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), criticized the Netherlands for not doing enough to curb ecstasy production, the Associated Press reported Sept. 26.Speaking from a conference in Rome, Italy, Walters said the Dutch government should give law enforcement officials the authority to use wiretaps and other means to catch criminal gangs involved in ecstasy production.
"There is a limited ability to use wiretap and informant information that makes it harder when you have a criminal conspiracy to enforce laws," said Walters.
While the Dutch government said it has tried all approaches to stop production of the synthetic drug, Walters accused the government of not being "serious enough" about closing down ecstasy producing labs.
"We have had some improved cooperation, especially with Dutch law enforcement, but there simply have not been adequate steps taken by the government of the Netherlands to control this," Walters said. "If the Dutch government would take this seriously and take the steps necessary, this would change dramatically. The fact that it hasn't is a failure to take the necessary steps and persuade the people of the Netherlands that this is a priority."
Martin Witteveen, the lead Dutch prosecutor for synthetic-drug crimes, said Walters' criticism is unfair. "There has been an enormous effort and we have seen a lot of results in the past year," he said.
The Netherlands is the largest source of ecstasy in the U.S., as well as worldwide.
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