An international criminal network was selling fake medicines to seriously ill patients in Greece as well: turnover reached €240 million – Arrests and investigations in six countries

The products were distributed done hundreds of websites and societal media pages. Investigations aimed astatine dismantling the web were carried retired astatine 113 locations crossed Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Moldova.

On May 12 and 14, 2026, Greek and European authorities conducted a coordinated pan-European cognition to dismantle a transgression enactment that defrauded citizens crossed Europe done fake medicines for superior illnesses and counterfeit dietary supplements.

Greece’s Financial Crimes Unit actively participated successful the operation, carrying retired investigations astatine a logistics institution successful Attica, seizing products, and arresting cardinal members of the group.

How the web operated done societal media

The transgression group, progressive since 2019, operated with a nonrecreational hierarchical operation and had established companies done which it marketed much than 400 supplements that had nary authoritative authorization for circulation. The products were sold done hundreds of websites and societal media pages. To deceive victims, the radical utilized fake doc names and well-known nationalist figures, creating accounts that appeared legitimate.

Customers who filled retired interaction forms received telephone calls from operators posing arsenic doctors oregon specialists, claiming that the supplements were genuine medicines for superior oregon incurable diseases. In reality, each the products contained the aforesaid ingredients and had nary therapeutic effect. Several victims reportedly stopped their prescribed aesculapian treatments aft being misled. Whenever a merchandise attracted excessively galore complaints, it was simply renamed and relaunched, generating amerciable profits estimated astatine €240 million.

The probe began successful Romania

The probe was initiated by Romanian authorities, who uncovered the group’s planetary activities. The enactment utilized morganatic businesses successful aggregate countries to conceal its amerciable operations, making planetary practice indispensable for gathering grounds and testimonies.

As portion of the operation, a Joint Investigation Team was established involving Romania, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, and Moldova nether the coordination of Eurojust, with coordination meetings held successful The Hague. Europol supported the cognition done a Virtual Command Post and specialists deployed successful the involution countries.

In total, investigations were carried retired astatine 113 locations successful Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Moldova, with the information of authorities from Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

ELAS connection connected the case

Greece’s Financial Crimes Subdivision of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime participated connected May 14, 2026, successful the pan-European cognition coordinated by Eurojust and Europol to dismantle the transgression radical that defrauded victims crossed Europe done the merchantability of fake supplements and medicines falsely presented arsenic genuine treatments for superior illnesses.

Police officers from the Social Security Department, assisted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, conducted searches and collected grounds astatine a logistics institution successful the Attica region.

Authorities recovered that the transgression enactment had been operating since 2019 with a hierarchical structure. Its members had founded companies done which they marketed much than 400 supplements lacking the required circulation licenses.

The amerciable products were distributed done hundreds of websites and societal media pages. To mislead victims—primarily from European Union countries—the radical often utilized the names and images of celebrities and fictitious doctors.

During the coordinated time of action, searches were conducted astatine 113 locations crossed Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Moldova, resulting successful the apprehension of cardinal members of the group. Authorities besides unopen down 196 websites successful Romania utilized to marketplace the products and seized ample quantities of amerciable supplements, astir of them from the organization’s cardinal warehouse successful Bulgaria.

Additionally, assets worthy €1.8 cardinal were frozen successful Poland, portion the group’s amerciable turnover is estimated astatine €240 million.

Authorities from Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Moldova participated successful the operation.