667 People arrested and 25 organised criminal groups dismantled
Europol coordinated operation Shield, a global effort to target trafficking of counterfeit and misused medicines and doping substances. The operation was led by Finland, France, Greece and Italy and involved law enforcement authorities from 27* countries (19 EU Member States and 8 third-party countries), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Pharmaceutical Security Institute and the private sector. The operation took place between March and September 2020. During the operation, law enforcement officers dismantled 25 criminal groups, arrested nearly 700 suspects and seized large amounts of anti-cancer drugs, erectile dysfunction medicines, pseudoephedrine, various doping substances (hormone and metabolic regulators), drugs, painkillers, antioestrogens, antivirals, hypnotics, antihistamines and anxiolytics.
Operation Shield in a nutshell
Seizures worth nearly €73 million
More than 25 million units of medicines and doping substances seized
667 suspects arrested
1 282 individuals reported to judicial authorities
25 organised crime groups dismantled
10 clandestine laboratories seized
453 websites shut down
4 009 websites monitored
95 judicial cases opened (29 for doping and 66 for medicines)
536 doping inspections performed (148 in competition and 388 out of competition)
247 athletes controlled ‘in competition’ (13 positive)
403 athletes controlled ‘out competition’ (4 positive)
COVID-19-related fakes
Almost 33 million medical devices seized (face masks, tests, diagnosis kits)
8 tonnes of raw materials, chemicals and antivirals seized
70 000 litres of hygiene sanitizers seized
New trends
Increased trafficking of anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drugs (e.g. clonazepam) and synthetic opioids (tramadol hydrochloride and fentanyl)
Growing number of underground labs producing medicines, anabolic steroids and narcotics
Doping products are almost exclusively sold online to final consumers (mainly through social media)
Most of the oncologic medicines are diverted from the legal supply chain through the massive use of falsified prescriptions
Asia remains the main source region for the supply of raw materials for medicines and anabolic substances
Illegal sale of medicines obtained with forged or stolen medical prescriptions
Consuming fake – a dangerous new habit
The trafficking of medicine is a growing issue across the globe. Organised crime groups are increasingly diverting their activities into this criminal field, which provides high profits with lower risks of detection. The misuse of medicines outside their intended use has become commonplace. Consumers turn to these medicines for different reasons including psychotropic, recreational or performance-enhancing purposes and consume them without medical prescriptions or inject non-injectable products such as sublingual pills, patch contents or eye drops. In addition to the genuine medicines resold or sold outside of a medical framework, another major concern is counterfeit products. Fake antiviral products, unauthorized COVID-19 tests and medical devices like face masks and sanitizers could expose the public to high health risks.
Consuming counterfeit substances will not produce the effect the medications are intended to have and the patient will not be correctly treated. Such counterfeits may be produced with toxic substances and in breach of hygiene rules in the manufacturing process, which may lead to serious health risks or even death.
