Mexican national Pavel N., also known as “Pablo Icecobar,” has been sentenced to nearly 15 years in prison for his involvement in the production and trafficking of crystal methamphetamine. Icecobar, 41, was arrested in Germany in 2021 and subsequently extradited to the Netherlands. He had been living in the Netherlands since at least 2015.
Icecobar, whose nickname is a combination of the name of the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and “ice,” slang for crystal meth, was the target of an investigation by Dutch authorities. They cracked a secure messaging phone app used by Icecobar, where he referred to himself as “the biggest meth producer in Europe.”
Authorities discovered that Icecobar brought the “Mexican method” of cooking methamphetamine to Europe, using the residues of a first batch to cook a new one. This technique allowed for the production of a more potent and addictive form of meth known as “d-meth.” Dutch sites where Icecobar’s Mexican accomplices were captured revealed evidence of this technique.
Icecobar’s criminal organization involved a Dutch man named Danny K., who was responsible for laundering the proceeds from meth sales. Icecobar himself was in charge of smuggling chemists for the drug production in Europe. The duo also operated a “narco-boat” used for cooking methamphetamine at sea.
In addition to Icecobar and Danny K., two other suspects from Mexico and Ecuador, who worked as laboratory technicians, were sentenced to eight and five years respectively. A woman from Colombia was also sentenced to four years in prison. Icecobar had previously been convicted on drug charges in Texas.
The collaboration between Dutch and Mexican organized crime groups in producing and trafficking high-quality methamphetamine to Asia and Australasia was highlighted in a 2020 VICE News investigation.
