Dutch citizen detained in Bucharest with 12 kg of so-called “zombie drug”

Romanian police have detained a 50-year-old Dutch citizen after he was caught in Bucharest transporting around 12 kilograms of a psychoactive substance known on the street market as the “zombie drug.” Officers from the Bucharest Organized Crime Combat Brigade, working with prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), said the man is under investigation for carrying out unauthorized operations involving substances with psychoactive effects.

According to the police, the suspect allegedly sourced approximately 12 kilograms of N-ethylnorpentedrone from the Netherlands in January 2026, with the intention of selling it in Romania. The substance was reportedly shipped into the country using an international transport company.

Last week, “the man was caught in the act in Bucharest while allegedly transporting two suitcases in a taxi, collected from the premises of the transport company, which contained several bags holding the psychoactive substance. The substance intended for sale, which he allegedly possessed for this purpose, is known on the street market as the ‘zombie drug’ and is one of the substances frequently used by young consumers,” the police announced.

Authorities said the seized quantity could have been used to produce at least 120,000 doses. Such substances are typically sold in small sachets of up to 0.10 grams, usually priced at around RON 10 per dose, making them easily accessible to young and vulnerable users.

The police warned that consumption can lead to severe physical and psychological dependence, serious health damage, and, in some cases, death.

DIICOT prosecutors ordered the man’s detention on January 23 and on January 24 submitted a request to the Bucharest Tribunal for his pre-trial arrest for 30 days.

Authorities stressed that, throughout the criminal proceedings, the suspect benefits from all procedural rights guaranteed by law and from the presumption of innocence.

(Photo source: IGPR/Politiaromana.ro)