In the Netherlands, a rather quirky incident during a drug raid has left many amused.
Drug raids are routine, and officers are accustomed to uncovering unusual items. However, authorities in the southern part of the Netherlands were not expecting to stumble upon an especially peculiar garden gnome.
The BBC reports that the police discovered a garden gnome weighing about 4 pounds, crafted from the drug MDMA.
This unusual item was found alongside a variety of other illegal substances during the search.
The strange discovery prompted a slew of humorous comments online, and even the police joined in the lighthearted banter.
The Dongemond Police used social media to share details about the unusual find.
In a translated post, they noted: “Drugs appear in many shapes and sizes, but every now and then we come across special things.
“In itself a strange place to keep your garden gnome. That’s why we decided to test [it] for narcotics.”
Authorities even jested that “the gnome himself was visibly startled,” referring to its pose with hands over its mouth.
MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is an illegal drug in the Netherlands. Despite this, as of 2019, the country is one of the major producers globally.
The specific location of the raid remains undisclosed, but the Dongemond police cover the municipalities of Oosterhout, Geertruidenberg, Drimmelen, and Altena.
Comments flooded Reddit with users poking fun at the situation.
One user quipped: “Crazy that someone would use MDMA to make their garden gnome. Like if they just sold the MDMA instead of using it for decoration they probably could have bought dozens (or more!) of garden gnomes made out of regular materials. I guess that’s still illegal though.”
Another remarked: “Now that’s f****** hilarious. If they had just sent the gnome I feel like they could have gotten away with it.
“Or maybe they were on drugs when they came up with the idea “I know man, I know, we’ll put a bunch of drugs in with the drugs as a decoy!”
Someone else commented: “I imagine this is the sort of hijinks you need to pull to smuggle large amounts of product.”
Another suggested: “They should’ve made it a girl gnome and called her Molly.”
And a final joke: “What are your garden gnomes made of then?”