Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri (NAS Carabinieri) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the online sale of illegal food supplements containing active medical ingredients. (Credit: europol.europa.eu)
DIPLOMATIC TIMES STAFF REPORT
EIGHT ARRESTS FOR SELLING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FOOD SUPPLEMENTS ONLINE – Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri (NAS Carabinieri) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the online sale of illegal food supplements containing active medical ingredients. In 2019, NAS Carabinieri detected some food supplements, allegedly made of natural ingredients, which actually contained the pharmaceutical ingredients sildenafil and tadalafil. The product, recommended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, was sold on a well-known e-commerce platform. The results of analysis carried out on samples from test purchases of the product confirmed the presence of these active ingredients. Food supplements illegally containing a medical active ingredient could be sold in a deceptive way to consumers, generating high risks for public health. In this case, Sildenafil could be extremely harmful for individuals suffering from heart or blood circulation diseases.
Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri (NAS Carabinieri) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the online sale of illegal food supplements containing active medical ingredients. (Credit: europol.europa.eu)
The Spanish investigation followed the supply chain and identified that the company was registered in the United Kingdom, while the main perpetrators were operating from Spain. Based on information shared by the Italian Carabinieri through Europol, the Spanish Police then initiated the investigation carried out in the framework of operation Shield II, which led to the arrest of the suspects. Officers carried out twelve house searches in Spain and Italy and blocked seventeen websites.