EU Drug Counterfeiting Organization Intercepted in Spain
Spanish police have arrested 26 people in Marbella, Spain, suspected of leading a network of counterfeit medicine distributors throughout Europe.
Spanish police uncovered over 700,000 doses of suspect medication. The illegal susbstances are suspected of being imported int Glasgow, Scotland, before distribution throughout Europe from the port of Manchester, England, reports the Telegraph.
Police said the the network was dedicated as the “international trafficking of counterfeit medicines,” reported Bike World News.
According to The Telegraph, among those that were arrested, was the director general of a cycling club famous for it’s high performing members, including several European and world champion cyclists. Among the suspect drugs, performance enhancement medications were found.
Spanish police conducted 19 property searches across Spain to round up the falsified medications, and found anabolic steroids, suspect performance enhancement drugs, and hundreds of thousands of counterfeit erectile dysfunction medications.
Police also discovered a secret laboratory in the attic of a house in Elche, Alicante, where bulk medications were manufactured for resale on the internet. Imported ingredients are suspected to have been shipped from China, India and Turkey through brokers and wholesalers in the UK, Germany and Hungary in order to avoid Spanish customs.
Arrests were made in Madrid, Andalusia, and eastern Spain. Among those arrested were seven British citizens.