Drug lab busted at alleged NATO nuclear base
Belgian law enforcement has busted an illegal drug lab located on the premises of the NATO Kleine-Brogel airbase in the northeast of the country, Limburg police announced on Tuesday.
The facility was discovered last Wednesday, authorities explained, adding that “a neighboring house” adjacent to the installation’s premises was involved in the operation as well. The lab has been manufacturing the synthetic drug MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.
Two suspects, who are not military personnel, were arrested during the raid. They have subsequently been released under certain conditions. The police did not make any statements on the potential charges the two might be facing.
The Kleine-Brogel airbase is believed to house a stockpile of US atomic weapons under the NATO nuclear-sharing program. The facility has repeatedly been a target for anti-nuclear and anti-NATO protesters.
The apparent nuclear status of the base has been the subject for assorted rumors for decades, but the number of warheads kept at the facility is not officially known. Back in 2019, a Green MP told Belgium’s parliament that some 10 to 20 were stockpiled at the site.
