Crystal meth is often associated with the United States and Mexico, but Europe also has a country where methamphetamine has been firmly rooted for decades: the Czech Republic. The drug is primarily known there as 'pervitin', and both use and production are remarkably high. New European figures show that the country still holds a unique position.
Hundreds of meth labs discovered
According to the European Drug Report 2026, 252 methamphetamine laboratories were dismantled in the European Union in 2024. As many as 184 of these were located in the Czech Republic. By comparison, 23 were discovered in the Netherlands and 18 in Bulgaria.
That does not automatically mean that the Czech Republic is also the largest producer in Europe. The laboratories in the country are generally relatively small and produce primarily for the local and regional market. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, production takes place on a much larger, industrial scale.
Pervitin has a long history
Methamphetamine has a longer history in the Czech Republic than in many other European countries. The drug is usually called pervitin there and has been produced locally for decades.
Use is also historically strongly concentrated in the Czech Republic and neighboring Slovakia. Earlier European estimates pointed to approximately 34.600 people in the Czech Republic with high-risk methamphetamine use.
Crystal meth spreads further through Europe
At the same time, meth has long ceased to be an exclusively Czech problem. The EUDA sees signs that methamphetamine is available in an increasing number of European countries. Large-scale production in the Netherlands, in particular, but also production in Germany and Poland, plays a role in this.
That makes the European market more complicated. While the Czech Republic is known for small local labs, criminal networks elsewhere now have production sites that can produce much larger quantities.
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Calling the Czech Republic the absolute 'crystal meth capital of Europe' is a bit of an oversimplification. Nevertheless, it is clear why the country has earned that reputation. Methamphetamine has been present there for decades, and of the 252 meth labs dismantled within the EU in 2024, 184 were located in the Czech Republic. At the same time, the problem is shifting: large-scale production is increasingly taking place elsewhere in Europe.
Source: euda.europa
