The doping 'influencer' doctor who trafficked pills in gyms

BarcelonaHe was a social media phenomenon, offering advice on sports, bodybuilding, and nutrition, backed by his medical training. This made it much easier for him to attract potential clients. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) explained on Wednesday what he was like. modus operandi of the endocrinologist who was arrested two weeks ago along with eight other members ofa network that supplied The operation, which dealt in doping drugs and operated primarily in the Barcelona metropolitan area, but also nationally and internationally, at least since 2020, uncovered a network of individuals involved in the trafficking of doping drugs. The main suspect, an endocrinologist and former bodybuilder, was responsible for prescribing illegal medications, most notably growth hormone, a substance used in bodybuilding to increase strength and muscle mass, reduce fat, and enhance the effects of steroids. The doctor operated under the guise of clinics that claimed to offer medical advice to clients—who did not meet the requirements for such treatment—with the aim of boosting their physical performance and increasing their muscle-building capacity. In the thirteen raids carried out at various residences and locations, agents found approximately 40,000 tablets, over 500 pills for sexual enhancement, and 2,500 vials of growth hormone. These latter substances, moreover, came from illegal laboratories and were frequently counterfeit. To pass security checks, they were passed off as cosmetics or medical products from the Baltic countries for subsequent packaging and distribution. Among the seized substances were several counterfeit medications sold under the names of legal medicines in Spain.

According to Santi López, head of the Central Consumer Unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police), who dismantled the network two weeks ago along with the Central Money Laundering Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), "the organization's money laundering was very sophisticated." The group had €300,000 in bank accounts, €250,000 in cash, more than $150,000 in cryptocurrencies, and a frozen portfolio of real estate and furniture valued at €1 million. The investigation began in January 2025 and lasted almost the entire year. According to the agents, the difficulty of the operation—which involved the collaboration of Europol and Estonian police—lay in tying together the various links of the network, which had banking subsidiaries in several countries. To launder the profits, clients paid in cash or via bank transfer directly to these foreign accounts. The group had a great capacity for recruiting clients, especially through the figure of the endocrinologist. Investigators requested a court order to block certain profiles on social media and websites, a measure that was granted. Documents related to the purchase and sale of the drugs were also identified during the searches, and the police are now investigating the origin of the documents and how they might be linked to other European investigations connected through Europol.

Danger of self-consumption

Núria Vilarrasa, head of the endocrinology and nutrition department at Bellvitge Hospital, warns of the dangers of consuming these medications without a prescription. "The adverse effects can be irreversible, and the health risks range from stroke to diabetes, including all types of heart disease." She adds that "the lack of guarantees in the illegal market can increase this danger," because the medications contain higher doses than declared or contain other active ingredients. Vilarrasa also explained that hospitals are seeing an increasing number of young patients who have taken anabolic steroid treatments, which are used to treat some hormonal disorders but are also misused to increase muscle mass or athletic performance. One of the side effects of consuming growth hormone or testosterone when it is not needed is infertility and impotence. That's why Sergeant Santi López believes that, for the network, "the distribution of drugs to improve sexual performance would have been a secondary business" stemming from the sale of these hormones. The police operation took place in several municipalities in the Barcelona and Tarragona regions, and of the nine arrested, seven were brought before the Vilanova i la Geltrú Court of Instruction Number 9. They are now charged with crimes against public health, money laundering, falsification of public documents, and membership in a criminal organization.