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National Police investigators in Spain suspect that the pharmacist who was arrested in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol last week was the leader of an international scheme linked to the illegal sale of an opioid analgesic. During the operation, officers arrested four other individuals.
The investigation was launched when the regional ministry of health issued a report in which it informed of the purchase of 36,964 containers of an opioid analgesic by the 58-year-old owner of the pharmacy, without authorised distribution.
Police officers believe that the suspect took advantage of his access to such substances in laboratories and wholesale warehouses. He would then allegedly send them to North Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, where this potent painkiller is considered a threat to public health and the cause of a serious addiction problem, "similar to the case of fentanyl in the US".
The first arrest in the framework of this operation was carried out a fortnight ago, when the police detained a man in Marbella on suspicion of crimes against public health, false documentation and traffic safety. There was also a European arrest warrant out for him, issued by the Swedish authorities for a drug-trafficking offence. More than 104,818 doses of the synthetic opioid were seized at this stage.
In a second phase of the operation, investigators made four more arrests: several staff at the pharmacy and the owner. It is the latter that the police are investigating for being the ringleader of the scheme. All suspects are charged with crimes against public health and money-laundering.
In the last phase of the operation, the police carried out several searches, during which large amounts of money were found stuffed inside cuddly toys. In total, 223,825 euros and 2,650 boxes of the synthetic opioids (more than 250,000 pills) were seized, among other items.
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