Estonia helps bust international prescription drugs smuggling operation
Over 40 people were arrested and millions of pills were seized in an international operation to disrupt the smuggling of prescription drugs across Europe from Romania to Finland.
The operation involved law enforcement agencies from Romania, Estonia, Finland, and Serbia, and was supported by Eurojust and Europol.
Forty-seven people were arrested and over six million pills, valued at approximately €12.5 million, were seized.
Prosecutor Liis Vainola told Wednesday's "Ringvaade" an entire chain of illegal trafficking in psychotropic substances was dismantled through international cooperation.
"The drugs originated from a legal factory in Serbia, where criminals infiltrated the supply chain at an intermediate stage, transporting the substances through various countries to Estonia. From there, they were moved to Finland and further distributed to Norway and Sweden," Vainola explained.
Estonia was only a transit country in the operation, but authorities received information suggesting the criminals planned to establish a storage facility in the country to hold the substances.
Vainola said dismantling supply chains significantly delay the market's recovery, even if it does not solve the problem completely.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Merili Nael, Helen Wright
Source: Ringvaade intervieiw by Grete Lõbu
