A hard pill to swallow for three arrested for trafficking counterfeit pharmaceuticals

Criminal group alleged to have distributed anabolic steroids and counterfeit medicines since 2017

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Last week, in collaboration with authorities from Greece’s Financial Police Directorate (Diéfthynsi Oikonomikís Astynomías/Διεύθυνση Οικονομικής Αστυνομίας), Europol supported the dismantling of a transnational organised crime group trafficking and distributing anabolic steroids and counterfeit pharmaceuticals. 

The long-running investigation has culminated a series of searches conducted in the early hours of 18 January in Greece. Law enforcement made three arrests and seized more than 135 000 doses of anabolic substances and other illicit substances, worth an estimated total of EUR 200 000. 

  • Europol and Greek investigators examining seized drugs

The searches in the morning of 18 January led to: 

  • Three arrests 

  • EUR 124 620 in cash

  • Packaging material (such as plastic containers, paper packaging and stickers)

  • Documents containing orders placed, customer names, and drug prices

  • Numerous courier delivery slips 

  • Offensive weapons including a pistol, a knife, and a knuckle-duster

  • Three winning gambling tickets worth just under EUR 20 000 

  • Nine mobile phones and one SD card

Law enforcement believes that the criminal operation began in 2017, offering for-profit storage, marketing, distribution and supply of banned anabolic steroids and counterfeit medicines, such as anti-erectile dysfunction drugs. The criminals, who were based in Greece, sourced their illicit substances mainly via China and Eastern Europe. The criminals also sourced packaging for the illicit substances in these countries, even securing counterfeit authenticity tapes of Greece’s National Medicines Agency. 

The suspects are alleged to have had an international clientele that included dozens of professional athletes, while deliveries were done using international courier services based on false sender information. Profits were then laundered using bank accounts made with stolen identities, and via gambling tickets. 

Europol supported the operation with the deployment of a specialist to the headquarters of Greece’s Financial Police Directorate. 

Europol’s Property Crime Coordinated Coalition (IPC3) is co-funded by EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) to combat intellectual property crime. 

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