The criminal group, which operated throughout Europe, bought pills from other criminal networks in Serbia. The pills, used to treat anxiety, seizures and insomnia, were then hidden in tyres, in cars, which were transported on lorries, and in clothing to be taken to Romania and Estonia. After arriving in Romania or Estonia, the pills were transported on to the Nordic countries. Members of the criminal group in Finland and Norway acted as distributors and sold the pills on the streets. The sale of the pills was highly profitable for the criminal group. The pills seized during the operations done by the national authorities has a market value of approximately EUR 12.5 million.
To dismantle the intricate network of criminals, the Romanian authorities launched an investigation into the group. Given the transnational nature of the criminal group, with activities in Romania, Estonia, Finland, and Serbia, international cooperation between the authorities started, supported by Eurojust and Europol.
A joint investigation team (JIT) was set up at Eurojust between Romanian, Estonian, Finnish and Serbian authorities to collect and exchange information and evidence directly, and carry out joint operations.
To investigate the activity of the criminal group, special investigative techniques such as control delivery and undercover investigator were successfully used by the authorities of all the countries involved. To this end, Eurojust facilitated the coordination and execution in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia of European Investigation Orders issued by Romania. Following these actions, 39 people were arrested, and more than 4 million prescription pills were seized.
After these measures, the JIT continued their investigations to halt the activities of the criminal group and bring them to justice.
A large-scale international operation on 17 October coordinated from Eurojust’s headquarters in The Hague, led to the arrest of 14 people in Romania, 11 people in Serbia and 1 person in Finland. 41 houses searches were carried out simultaneously in Romania, 19 in Serbia and one in Finland.
Items seized during the operation include large quantities of pills, cash, mobile phones, firearms and luxury cars. 2 houses have been also seized in Romania. Europol facilitated the overall operation by liaising with the operating authorities, processing the available data and deploying two specialists with mobile offices to support the action day.
The following authorities were involved in the actions:
Romania:
- Prosecution Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice
- Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism
- Oradea Territorial Office
- General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police
- Directorate for Combating Organized Crime
- Department for Special Operations
- Central Intelligence Analysis Unit of the Romanian Police;
- General Inspectorate for Border Police – Bors, Nadlac and Petea Offices
Estonia:
- Northern District Prosecutor’s Office
- Police and Border Guard Board, Northern Prefecture, Crime Bureau, Drug and Organised Crime Unit
Finland:
- Prosecution District of Southern Finland
- Helsinki Police Department and National Prosecution Authority
Serbia:
- Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime
- Criminal Investigations Directorate
- Service for Combatting Organized Crime
- Department for Combating Organized Drug Smuggling