National Police dismantle illegal pharmaceuticals laboratory in Seville with 27 arrests
The National Police dismantled a criminal network that illegally manufactured and distributed anabolic steroids and pharmaceuticals throughout Spain. 200,000 doses were seized and 27 people were arrested.
Clandestine laboratory in Seville: 27 arrested and 200,000 doses of illegal pharmaceuticals seized
Agents of the National Police have dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to the illicit manufacture and distribution of anabolic steroids, steroids, growth hormones, erectile dysfunction products and fat-burning pharmaceuticals that operated throughout Spanish territory. According to interior.gob.es, the operation resulted in 27 arrests, the dismantling of a clandestine laboratory and the seizure of more than 200,000 doses of illegal medications following 11 raids in different cities.
Those arrested were detained in Málaga (2), Cádiz (4), Seville (1), Castellón (2), Madrid (1), Toledo (1), Barcelona (5), Bilbao (10) and Zaragoza (1), as alleged perpetrators of membership in a criminal organisation, trafficking in medications, money laundering and professional malpractice.
A doctor as the central figure of the network
The investigation began after poor medical practice was detected by a physician in Málaga who was prescribing medications to people without a pathological condition that would justify it. The enquiries confirmed that the doctor acted as the central node of the network: when prescription was not viable through legal channels, he facilitated contact with suppliers who provided the substances on the black market.
Two of those arrested used, with the consent of the physician, their electronic certificates to issue electronic prescriptions to customers interested in the medications.
Personal trainers as client recruiters
The modus operandi was structured through personal trainers who offered nutritional and sports advice. They then put their clients in contact with the arrested doctor to obtain the necessary prescriptions, all in exchange for financial compensation. Among the medications distributed were fat-burning pharmaceuticals in the experimental phase, with their use in humans expressly prohibited.
Among the 27 arrested are several personal trainers as well as the physician who centralised the prescriptions.
Clandestine laboratory and warehouse with concealed treatment room
In the 11 raids carried out in Málaga, Cádiz, Toledo, Barcelona and Bilbao—together with seven inspections in establishments and storage units in Málaga, Castellón, Toledo and Bilbao—over 1,000 kilos of product were seized, equivalent to the 200,000 doses of illegal medications, along with 37,000 euros in cash, several electronic devices, a high-end vehicle, printing machinery for fraudulent packaging and cardboard, encapsulation machines, mixers and test tubes.
The agents thus dismantled a clandestine laboratory with complete equipment for the illicit manufacture of pharmaceuticals. In addition, in a warehouse in Barcelona a room was found with a treatment bed and medical instruments in which the seized substances were being administered intravenously in an illegal manner.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)