Police and Hospital Staff Arrested for Fake Drug Distribution in Argentina Conspiracy

The Argentinian Federal Police’s Technical Criminal Investigation division conducted 11 raids in the ongoing counterfeit medicine mafia investigation, including a large raid at the Posadas Hospital, in the greater Buenos Aires district of Haedo. Six people were arrested.

Among those arrested were a former policeman linked to trafficking in ephedrine, while all have been implicated in the ongoing conspiracy investigation of Judge Noberto Oyarbide. Oyrabide is pursuing a two year case of systemic distribution of expired, adulterated and fake medicines allegedly distributed by union officials to members through the organizations’ pharmacies and medical centers.

The former Buenos Aires police officer is a pharmacy owner and an associate of one of three pharmaceutical businessmen assassinated in 2008 on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, police told ABC Journal. The murders were attributed to Mexican drug traffickers, who allegedly used ephedrine provided by the pharmacy owner to make synthetic drugs. Additionally, the former police officer supplied medicine to the Bank Worker’s Union, whose leader Juan Jose Zanola was arrested for the sale of fake drugs in 2009.

The head of Posadas Hospital’s drug depository and four of his employees were also arrested, reported Momento24. Other sites raided were notaries, pharmacies and private homes.

Raids were ordered by Judge Norberto Oyarbide, reported the Buenos Aires Herald.

In addition to providing false and adulterated medicines, the fake medicine syndicate is accused of falsifying medical records. Notably, Alberto Costa, former Secretary of Health Monitoring for the Province of Buenos Aires has been indicted for “illicit association.”