Premises that have accommodated a drugs lab may be uninhabitable for at least 100 years says Belgium’s national drugs commissioner Ine Van Wymersch after the discovery of a drugs lab in Antwerp Province, where 3 people died. The commissioner also warns landlords to be alert when they let premises. "Pay close attention if someone wants to rent a building in a poor condition for a lot of cash," she adds.
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“Doubling of drugs labs in Belgium last year” says national drugs commissioner Ine Van Wymersch
Colin Clapson
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A drugs lab produces large quantities of chemical waste. "People are not sufficiently aware of how dangerous that is," Van Wymersch told VRT. "An Australian study shows that a building that has accommodated a drugs lab is uninhabitable for at least 100 years."
In the United States, numerous decisions are taken declaring former drugs labs uninhabitable, the drugs commissioner explains. "Mayors here can also do that based on housing legislation," she says. "In this way, they can protect the health of any future residents."
Van Wymersch also reminds landlords of their responsibilities: they need to be alert and not allow rogue tenants in. "As a landlord you can be held jointly responsible for what a tenant does in your property, if it can be shown that you were aware of it," she says.
There are often some signs that may indicate shady dealings. "So pay attention if, for example, someone wants to pay a particularly large amount of cash to rent a property that is not in good condition. If something is too good to be true, it often is."
Number of drug labs discovered doubles
The number of drugs labs discovered is rising sharply. "It almost doubled in 2023," the drugs commissioner says. Whereas labs used to occur mainly in the border area with the Netherlands, they are now increasingly appearing further south, like now, for example, in this week’s case in Poederlee (Lille).
"We see that criminal organisations look for places where they can go about their business quietly," she explains. "When a drugs lab is discovered, it is often in a place where you wouldn’t immediately expect one." For example, in a row of terrace houses or in the middle of a residential area.
The drugs commissioner says it is important for people to be alert if they smell or see something suspicious. "People can report suspicious smells and behaviour anonymously using the hotline," she says. "This can then lead to the dismantling of a lab without the people who reported it being at any risk."