Europol busts major illicit steroid market
A worldwide operation has dismantled 17 organised crime groups involved in the trafficking of counterfeit medicines, and doping materials, Europol has announced.
In a statement yesterday, July 8, Europol said it had seized 3.8 million illicit substances with the help of Interpol, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the European Anti-Fraud Office, the World Anti-Doping Agency and 33 countries.
Countries that took part in the operation include Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Denmark and the US.
This included doping substances, dietary supplements, medicines and sport and food supplements. The operation, named Viribus, led to the arrest of 234 suspects.
Additionally, almost 1,000 individuals were reported to authorities for production, commerce or use of the substances. As a result, a total of 839 judicial cases have been opened as a result of the investigation.
According to Europol, the worldwide trade in anabolic substances has increased significantly.
It said the final consumer, often gym fanatics and bodybuilders, determines the patterns of this trafficking.
Europol said one of the main objectives of the operation was to shut down illegal labs where the drugs were being made. It said that in total, nine illegal labs were detected and almost 24 tons of raw steroid powder were seized.
The operation also focused on doping checks during sporting events. In total, 1,357 blood and urine tests were carried out at events in some of the participating countries.
Europol said the investigation detected some of the latest trends in the sale and distribution of doping substances.
It said: “Non-professional athletes, bikers and body-builders are buying small parcels of steroids, mainly from Asia or eastern-Europe to traffic them to gyms.”
Additionally, the network of law enforcement authorities said there had been an increase in the use of social media for advertisement, promotion and sale of anabolic products.
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