Authorities Seize 6 Tons of Amphetamine-Making Materials
The investigative department of the Tax and Customs Board discovered 6,000 kilograms of alpha-phenylacetoacetonitrile (APAAN), a material used to make amphetamine, in Pärnu and nearby Audru County in a series of sting operations last week.
“The seized volume of APAAN is noteworthy in European context. The previous record was set in Holland, where in 2011 four tons were seized,” state prosecutor Taavi Pern said in a Customs Board press release today.
Uku Tampere, a spokesman for the Customs Board told ERR News that while the substance is legal in Estonia, intending to use it for the production of illegal drugs is punishable with up to a five year sentence.
During the operations, the board apprehended one Dutch national and two Estonian nationals, also finding 4.6 kilograms of marijuana in a car with Dutch license plates and a 'very large' amount of cash.
The materials would have been enough to make two tons of amphetamine, worth up to 30 million euros on the street.