Europol supports international action against counterfeit medicines and supplements network

On 12 May, the EU Agency Europol supported an international operation targeting a large-scale criminal network involved in the production, distribution, and sale of counterfeit medicines and dietary supplements. The operation, which took place across Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Moldova, with judicial requests issued in a further 10 countries, aimed to dismantle the infrastructure supporting this illicit trade. To that end, a Joint Investigation Team was established at Eurojust.

As part of the operation, authorities conducted 138 searches. At least nine persons were arrested, dozens of electronic devices seized as well as cash, fake supplements, real estate and other assets worth at least €17.7 million. While investigations into the criminal group will continue, the majority of the suspected members of the group were identified and some of the main members in Poland, Romania and the Republic of Moldova detained.

The criminal organisation, comprising individuals from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, and Ukraine, has been operating for nearly two decades, generating at least €240 million in illicit transactions, with up to €70 million in 2021 alone. 

The network has been exploiting the vulnerability of individuals seeking treatments for serious diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, psoriasis, and weight loss, by promoting unauthorised dietary supplements through manipulative advertisements and fake endorsements.

The operation targeted various aspects of the criminal network. This involved investigating alleged legitimate producers and logistics companies involved in the distribution of counterfeit products. Law enforcement officers targeted call centres in Moldova and Romania, as well as warehouses and storage facilities in Bulgaria.

The network’s promotional strategies involved placing manipulative advertisements on well-known sites to enhance credibility. Users were then redirected to secondary sites that promoted the supplements, often using fake endorsements from known medical figures and links to official health websites. This deception was further amplified through social engineering and deepfakes, convincing victims of the legitimacy of the promoted products.

The operation was conducted as part of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), which tackles the most important threats posed by organised and serious international crime affecting the EU.

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Press release