"The area between IJmuiden and the Port of Amsterdam is threatening to become an alternative drug smuggling route with security at the Rotterdam port being stepped up. This is largely due to the "fragmented cooperation" between local security authorities, and a new water lock system which will soon let larger ships access the port, Vrije University and the Verwey-Jonker Institute concluded after their research, NOS reported.
The new lock in IJmuiden will be put into use at the beginning of 2022. That will give much larger seafaring vessels a way into the vast area of 21 kilometers long. Lead researcher Yarin Eski said that will make the port area more interesting for smugglers. "It's a large, obscure area where you can basically hide anywhere as a criminal.""