the change is its been controlled not just in the EU but in the native/source countries where its made.
Previously it was made in a reasonable lab, normally a converted light industrial unit, no worse than any other such improvised laboratory.
Young Chinese of our age group, boys and girls alike, very often set up up these sorts of places just to make things for their own use – with the assistance of their local Council, the University, sometimes even their own families. The space wouldn’t always be used for making drugs, they’d be doing other relatively legit and non controversial stuff like customising electronic gadgets, making clothes and shoes (not all of which are fakes of Western brands) etc. Also in modern urban China young people are by and large content and peaceable and rarely angry enough to want to get involved in stuff like political activism/terrorism to the point of making IEDs. So provided they don’t blow themselves up or set the place alight, its wasn’t hard to have a “multi purpose” lab which went unwatched by the authorities.
Most of those involved were middle class well educated people who had a normal job perhaps in the chemical industry. Now in those countries people suspected of making mefedrone are facing a very unpleasant encounter with armed police units. Although when caught they rarely get death penalty (its kilos of smack from Islamic countries CN get harsh about as they think Al-Quaeda are involved) they will lose a lot of money and worse, their good names with their family and community. For Asian kids this is often worse than any prison sentence they could ever get.
Hence the sketchier, more ruthless and less brainy types are making it, then its getting further contaminated/diluted on entry into Europe.
