According to experts, the market for synthetic drugs such as crystal meth in Bavaria is currently experiencing a fundamental change. While the material available in the Free State has mostly come from Czech drug laboratories in recent years, drugs from the Netherlands have now dominated the market, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said on request. Customs also make this observation. Between 2013 and 2015 there were almost daily attacks by smugglers who smuggled one to two grams of crystal from the Czech Republic to Germany for their own use, said Michael Lochner, spokesman for the main customs office in Regensburg. The perpetrators found some bizarre hiding spots for their drugs. But the times of “ant smuggling” are over, “it has completely collapsed”. At the moment, as far as crystal smuggling via the Czech Republic is concerned, it is quiet at the border. The search pressure had been very high in the past few years, said Lochner. “We don’t have any major appeals at the moment.”
According to the Ministry of the Interior: “The number of cases of smuggling metamfetamine has declined annually over the past five years on the border with the Czech Republic.” Crystal are metamfetamines in crystalline form. In 2016, there were still 258 cases of smuggling registered, in 2020 only 97. According to the legal definition, smuggling means the import of illegal substances in small quantities. Larger amounts are called illegal imports. However, the Bavarian authorities are still working closely with their Czech colleagues to combat crime at the border. The local police headquarters described the cooperation as “uncomplicated and efficient”, emphasized the ministry spokesman. There are joint patrols, control actions, meetings, training courses, exercises and also preventive measures. Crystal meth is quickly addicting. After the intoxication, users often suffer from severe depression, and ingestion can lead to severe physical and psychological damage.