Is Cocaine legal in Netherlands?

These cleared the same checks as the 10 above. They are listed separately only because this page shows 10 in full by default. The 10 shown first are not a representative sample: they are ordered by recency, then by severity, then by how much each differs from the ones already listed, so the records below are systematically older and carry lower sentences.

• A Gelderland court found that in 2025 the accused took part in a criminal organisation and dealt in and held cocaine, heroin and MDMA. All the counts put to the court were proved. The sentence was four months' imprisonment wholly suspended on a three-year operational period, with special conditions attached to the suspended part, together with 240 hours of community service, so no immediate custody was ordered.

  2025criminal-organisation participation, dealing and possession

  Citation Charge or suit number 05/036669-25

  convicted of criminal-organisation participation, joint dealing and possession; four months' imprisonment wholly suspended, plus 240 hours community service

  Substances recorded cocaine, heroin, mdma

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that on 29 May 2025, on the A16 motorway in the municipality of Moerdijk, the accused, a professional driver, carried 30 kilograms of cocaine in the boot of a Belgian hire car, loaded in Amsterdam by a stranger he never questioned. The court held the search lawful and found he had accepted the substantial risk of carrying something illegal, but acquitted him of extended export because nothing showed the load was bound for abroad. The reference points set 50 months or more for transporting over 20 kilograms of hard drugs, and the court imposed 48 months, above the prosecutor's demand because that demand rested on the heavier count.

  2025transport of 30 kg cocaine by car; extended export count acquitted

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-165108-25

  convicted of transporting 30 kilograms of cocaine; 48 months' imprisonment, with pre-trial detention credited

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that on 22 March 2024 the accused and three others were caught in a warehouse at Heerhugowaard cutting 460 packages of cocaine, 113.8 kilograms in all, out of the folded bases of cardboard boxes of ginger shipped from Costa Rica. Their claim to be cleaning was rejected: officers found knives, gloves and bin bags of cut box flaps but no cleaning materials. The court held that separating the drug from its cover load is a necessary step towards distribution and therefore counts as extended import, and that the whole consignment was within their control. It imposed 40 months against the 54 sought.

  2024extended import of 113.8 kg cocaine, extracted from a ginger consignment

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-100014-24

  convicted of the joint extended import of 113.8 kilograms of cocaine; 40 months' imprisonment, with pre-trial detention credited

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that between 22 December 2024 and 7 January 2025 the accused supplied delivery addresses for, and personally received, parcels sent from the United States containing about 5 kilograms of methamphetamine and a kilogram of cocaine. He said he expected branded clothing and phones, but messages on his phone discussing ice and ephedrine, screenshots of the names and tracking numbers used, and the size of the fee offered showed he had accepted the substantial risk that the parcels held drugs. The court rejected an argument that a controlled delivery of the last ten grams was unlawful, and imposed 24 months with 8 suspended against the 46 sought.

  2024joint import of about 5 kg methamphetamine and 1 kg cocaine by post

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-002988-25

  convicted of jointly importing about 5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine; 24 months' imprisonment, 8 months suspended

  Substances recorded methamphetamine, cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that on 10 February 2024 the accused drove towards the Belgian border with 3,823.65 grams of cocaine sealed into a hidden space under the rear bumper, the navigation set for Marseille. He denied knowing the drugs were there, but the court found his accounts of where he had been and for how long contradicted each other and the camera records, and held that nobody would hide almost four kilograms in a car without telling the driver. Because the load was being carried to a destination abroad it counted as extended export. The court imposed 30 months against the 42 sought.

  2024extended export of 3,823.65 g cocaine hidden under a car's rear bumper

  Citation Charge or suit number 02/048290-24

  convicted of the extended export of 3,823.65 grams of cocaine; 30 months' imprisonment, with pre-trial detention credited

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that between 27 July 2023 and 8 February 2024 the accused, working with another, repeatedly sold, delivered and transported cocaine and MDMA, sending price lists to buyers while the co-accused supplied the delivery addresses. The charged period was cut back from 11 March 2023 because nothing in the file showed dealing before late July. The reference points set 12 months for street dealing over six to twelve months, but the court went below that, weighing the shorter proved period, the seven month breach of the reasonable time for trial, and the six months imposed on the co-accused. It gave six months with three suspended.

  2023joint street dealing in cocaine and MDMA over about six months

  Citation Charge or suit number 02.290787.23

  convicted of jointly dealing in cocaine and MDMA; six months' imprisonment, three months suspended on a two year operational period

  Substances recorded cocaine, mdma

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that on 2 October 2023 the accused drove a car from Breda towards Lille carrying 984.38 grams of cocaine behind the glovebox and a further 2,311.49 grams under the rear seat. He admitted knowing about the first package only, but the court held that by never asking what else had been loaded he accepted the substantial risk that more was there, so both quantities were proved. The reference points put export of three to four kilograms at 30 to 36 months; the court imposed 24 months with 12 suspended, weighing his youth, his admission and his limited role as a courier.

  2023extended export of 3,295.87 g cocaine by car, bound for Lille in France

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-255198-23

  convicted of the extended export of 3,295.87 grams of cocaine; 24 months' imprisonment, 12 months suspended on a two year operational period

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Rotterdam court found that in 2023 the accused held 13.6 grams of cocaine and 18.8 grams of heroin, quantities the court treated as consistent with dealing rather than personal use. A separate count alleging preparatory acts for a serious Opiumwet offence was not proved and the accused was acquitted of it. The court imposed community service of 80 hours rather than immediate custody, and credited time already spent in pre-trial detention against that total, leaving 72 hours to serve.

  2023possession of 13.6 g cocaine and 18.8 g heroin; preparation count acquitted

  Citation Charge or suit number 10/266324-23

  convicted of possessing cocaine and heroin, committed more than once; 80 hours community service, 72 hours remaining after police custody credit

  Substances recorded cocaine, heroin

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The reciprocal Breda judgment reaches the same cocaine-only conviction shape under a different parketnummer, but with a lower custodial term. Its separate case number prevents the co-accused outcome from being bound to Record 9.

  2022medeplegen; possession plus voorbereidingshandelingen

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-136369-22

  convicted of joint cocaine possession and preparatory acts; 15 months' imprisonment

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The charge initially mentioned both cocaine and MDMA, but the conviction did not. The final proved package is cocaine-only: joint possession of about 3.241kg and repeated preparatory conduct for processing cocaine.

  2022medeplegen; possession plus voorbereidingshandelingen

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-012649-22

  Quantity 3241 g cocaine

  convicted of joint cocaine possession and preparatory acts; 18 months' imprisonment

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Zeeland-West-Brabant court found that between 2 December 2021 and 11 January 2022 the accused, acting with others, sold, delivered and transported user quantities of cocaine, identified on surveillance footage and in chat messages by a yellow jacket. Without delay the court would have imposed five months of immediate imprisonment, but it held that the reasonable time for trial had been exceeded by 23 months. As compensation it suspended most of the term, imposing 150 days with 135 suspended, so the unsuspended part matched the time already spent in pre-trial detention.

  2021joint sale, delivery and transport of cocaine over a six week period

  Citation Charge or suit number 02-010211-22

  convicted of jointly selling, delivering and transporting cocaine; 150 days' imprisonment, 135 days suspended on a two year operational period

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• A Rotterdam court found that in 2021 the accused jointly transported and held 13.6 grams of cocaine. Two further counts, preparatory acts for a serious Opiumwet offence and money laundering, were not proved and the accused was acquitted of both; the court reasoned that a sum of money may be both criminally derived and destined for a drugs offence, so neither count follows automatically from the other. The sentence was 24 hours of community service, of which 22 remained after pre-trial credit.

  2021joint transport and possession of 13.6 g cocaine; two further counts acquitted

  Citation Charge or suit number 10/009470-22

  convicted of jointly transporting and possessing 13.6 grams of cocaine; 24 hours community service, 22 hours remaining after pre-trial detention credit

  Substances recorded cocaine

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)