An international police operation supported by Europol has targeted a network accused of producing and selling counterfeit medicines and dietary supplements across parts of Europe, with at least nine people arrested.
The action took place on 12 May 2026 and involved 138 searches in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Moldova, Europol reported on Monday.
Dozens of electronic devices were seized along with cash, fake supplements, real estate and other assets worth at least €17.7 million.
The criminal organisation is made up of individuals from Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine and has operated for nearly two decades, generating at least €240 million in illicit transactions, including up to €70 million in 2021 alone.
People seeking treatments for serious diseases including diabetes, cancer and psoriasis were targeted through “manipulative advertisements” and fake endorsements promoting unauthorised supplements.
Warehouses raided and hundreds of websites blocked
Call centres in Moldova and Romania were targeted, along with warehouses and storage sites in Bulgaria, while investigators also looked into alleged legitimate producers and logistics firms involved in distribution, Europol said.
In Bulgaria, authorities identified what Europol described as the network’s central warehouse and seized tens of thousands of packages spanning more than 300 types of illegally produced food supplements. Officers also found machinery and equipment used for production, as well as accounting, transport and payment documents and shipments prepared for customers.
In Romania, 196 websites used to promote and sell the supplements were blocked, according to Europol. Assets worth €1.8 million were frozen in Poland.
The products were not legally registered and lacked endorsements, clinical data and quality controls, while their composition and manufacturing controls were unknown.
Authorities warned people to buy medicines only from registered online pharmacies.
