Lille –
Three people were killed in an active drug lab in Poederlee (Lille) on Wednesday morning. A fourth victim could be resuscitated. Two other people, including a neighbor, were also taken to hospital for evaluation.
Wednesday April 3, 2024 at 12:36
The drug lab was found above a pizzeria and a liquor store on the Poederleeseweg, just outside the village center of Poederlee. The emergency services arrived en masse on the scene around 9 am on Wednesday morning. Civil protection subsequently installed fences to close off the property.
The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirms that an active drug lab was discovered on the Poederleese road in Poederlee (Lille) on Wednesday morning. “Three fatalities were found in the building,” says spokesperson Kato Belmans. “One victim could be resuscitated and was taken to hospital.”
The identities of the victims have not yet been released, and the exact cause of death is not yet known. According to the prosecutor’s office, two other people were taken to the hospital. It concerns a neighbor and the person who notified the police. Whether the latter was involved in the lab in some way is part of the investigation.
It is still unclear which drugs were made in the lab. The forensic laboratory, the fire brigade, the police Clan Lab Response Unit (CRU) and a medical examiner are on site. The public prosecutor’s office has requested an investigating judge for the production of psychotropic substances in association with death. “The judicial investigation will have to reveal which drugs were made there and what exactly happened to the victims,” Belmans said.
© Joren De Weerdt
Marleen Peeters (N-VA), mayor of Lille: “Like everyone in our municipality, I am very shocked. When I saw the flashing lights of the emergency services, I first thought that a serious traffic accident had happened on the road to Herentals. It turned out to be a drug lab with three people who died. We had not received any reports of suspicious matters there in recent months. The drug lab is located next to a gas station. In some ways I’m glad that the lab has now been discovered. Last year, a cannabis plantation was found in a former kebab shop in the center of Lille, but as far as I know, a chemical lab for pills is the first time.”
Guy Peeters, manager of brasserie D’Achtste Zaligheid, reacts shocked. “Normally I’m the first one in the neighborhood who has seen strange things or writes down possibly suspicious license plates, but I hadn’t seen anything strange at all around the drinks store.” Only a gas station separates its business from the building where the facts took place.
Guy Peeters. — © mph
A neighbor of the building had noticed suspicious things in recent days. “I have seen several vans arrive and drive away,” she tells VRT NWS. “We noticed that, and we wondered what they were doing there.”
© Joren De Weerdt
© Joren De Weerdt
© Joren De Weerdt
© Joren De Weerdt
