The CBA strikes again the "drug mafia"– 5 persons detained
Five persons acting in an organised criminal group have been detained by the agents of the CBA. The case concerns illegal trade in medicines. Medicines worth nearly 16 million zlotys have been transferred abroad.
The officers of the Regional Office of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau in Białystok have detained in the Podlaskie, Małopolskie, Pomorskie and Łódzkie voivodeships five persons connected with entities running publicly accessible pharmacies.
Everything seems to indicate that the persons detained by the CBA cooperated with a broken up criminal group within the so-called reversed drug distribution chain. Medicinal products from pharmacies connected with them were sold in almost wholesale quantities to the indicated criminal group. As it has been determined in the course of the investigation, at a later stage the medicinal products were transferred to the medicine warehouse to finally be exported from Poland.
In 2017-2018, the detainees sold in this way from 38 pharmacies drugs with a total value of over 16 million zlotys.
After the completion of the activities, the detainees will be transferred to the Podlasie Terrain Division for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Białystok, where they will be charged, inter alia, with participation in an organized criminal group.
This is another part of the investigation conducted by the Regional Office of the CBA in Białystok, concerning the practice of transferring abroad medicines at risk of lack of availability. The proceedings started in May 2018, when 7 persons were detained in connection with the case. In the same case, in March 2019, 4 persons, connected with medicine warehouses cooperating with the broken up criminal group, were detained.
As part of the dealings, the medicaments, which were on the list of Polish Ministry of Health of medicines at risk of lack of availability in the country, were purchased from Polish pharmacies for export. They were, i.a., antineoplastic, anticoagulant, antipsychotic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The case is developmental.