From now on, municipalities will have to pay for the removal of abandoned waste from drug production. Justice no longer wants to cover these costs, het Belang van Limburg said on Monday.
These last years, more and more abandoned chemical products coming from drug labs have been found at the Belgian-Dutch border. So far, the costs for their removal and destruction, as well as for potential sanitation, were supported by Justice. But according to the “drug” expertise network of the General Prosecutors’ Board, these costs are not legal costs. “Legal costs are connected with elements of importance in an investigation, which cleaning up is not,” stresses General Prosecutor Christian De Valkeneer. This is why Justice transfers this responsibility to municipalities.
As for the Flemish Municipalities’ Association (VVSG), it expresses, through its president, Wim Dries, its discontent with this bill transfer.
