Doping in gyms: nine arrested for drug trafficking, including a doctor

BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) launched a police operation early Wednesday morning focused on the trafficking of medications and substances linked to doping. According to ARA, the Catalan police are attempting to dismantle a criminal network that supplies substances to gym clients to enhance physical performance and increase muscle mass. At least one of those arrested is a doctor, according to sources familiar with the matter. The police operation, which centered on the Barcelona metropolitan area, involved 150 officers from various units. However, it appears that the criminal group distributed these substances nationwide. Furthermore, it had a network of companies abroad through which it laundered the money earned from the illicit business. Throughout the day, the Mossos arrested nine people: eight men and one woman. They also carried out 13 searches, mostly in apartments rather than gyms, even though that's where the end clients were located, and seized up to €200,000 in cash and a large quantity of illegal medications. These searches took place in Barcelona, ​​Masnou, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Prat de Llobregat, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Castelldefels, Vallirana, Canyelles, and Salou.

The operation was led by the Central Consumer Unit and the Central Money Laundering Unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police). Agents from the Criminal Investigation Division, the Mobile Brigade, the Canine Unit, the Scientific Police, the Citizen Security Unit, and the Central Coordination Room also participated in the operation. Members of Europol and the Estonian police were present as invited international observers. The case is currently under seal.

Risks outside the pharmacy

Resorting to the trafficking of medications and substances carries obvious risks for the consumer. "There is no such thing as zero risk," not even when a doctor prescribes a drug and the user buys it at a pharmacy, because all drugs have associated side effects, warns Lorena Rivera, head of the Drug Information Center (CIM) at the Barcelona College of Pharmacists (COFB). However, in these cases, a qualified professional has decided that the benefits outweigh the risks and has prescribed it. In the case of drugs to enhance physical performance and increase muscle mass, the most common are anabolic steroids, which are used to treat some hormonal disorders, but are also misused to increase muscle mass or athletic performance, as well as testosterone precursors. In these two cases, Rivera explains the most common side effects, which can include liver, skin, and vascular damage, but can also have hormonal repercussions, such as hair loss and breast growth. In more serious cases, they can also induce behavioral changes. Buying medications at a pharmacy guarantees that the medication has passed all quality and safety controls, is properly stored, and is not a counterfeit that could be harmful to health. "Outside the pharmacy network, we can encounter counterfeit medications that can seriously affect our health," Rivera insists. For all these reasons, the expert urges people not to buy medications on the black market, even if they can be purchased without a prescription.