Dutch police said the truck and trailer unit with its suspicious cargo was found in Rilland, between Antwerp and Rotherdam, two European ports targeted by narcotics traffickers.

The haul included 100 canisters of hydrogen, 15 tons of caustic soda and 3,000 liters of other chemicals.

On their own, the chemicals were worth several hundred thousand euros, police said.

The Dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf" said residents had drawn police attention to the vehicle that had been standing for days on a public parking area.

ipj/gsw (dpa, Reuters)