The Hague - More than 230 people have been arrested and 3.8
million doping substances seized in the biggest ever global crackdown
on the trafficking of steroids and counterfeit medicines, Europol
said.
Agencies in 33 countries including the United States, Germany,
Britain and France took part in Operation Viribus, according to the
European Union's law enforcement agency, as well as the World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Interpol.
Seventeen organized crime groups were busted, nine underground labs
were dismantled and more than 800 criminal investigations were opened
as a result of the operation, which was led by police in Italy and
Greece.
The International Olympic Committee welcomed the news, saying in a
statement posted on Twitter that "it is crucial to target the
dealers, traffickers and producers who make doping in sport possible
and who drive this criminal industry.
Almost 1,000 people were reported for producing, selling or using
doping substances and 24 tons of raw steroid powder were seized.
"Over the last 20 years, the worldwide trade in anabolic substances
has increased significantly," Europol said in a statement on Monday.
"The trade in doping substances is normally decentralized and highly
flexible, open to anyone willing to order online or travel to
producing countries and buy the substances in bulk from legitimate
manufacturers."
It said recent trends included non-professional athletes, bikers and
body-builders buying small parcels of steroids from Asia and eastern
Europe with the intention of selling them to gyms.
Social media was being used to advertise steroids and people were
increasingly buying them on the dark-web and by using rechargeable
credit cards and cryptocurrencies.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) also confirmed its role in the
raids.
"This is the sort of multi-party collaboration that produces real
results and can make a significant impact on the availability of
counterfeit and illegal drugs used by some athletes globally,"
WADA director Gunter Younger said.