Blow to the first network in Spain of drugs prohibited to athletes

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They are called

(

) and are advertised as an alternative to steroids, but their distribution and sale is not authorized in

.

A criminal organization offered them to athletes through social networks and a website, until the Civil Guard has dismantled it.

After two years of investigation, the

of the

(UCO) of the Civil Guard, in collaboration with the armed institute in Catalonia, has managed to dismantle the first criminal network in Spain dedicated to the import, manufacture and distribution of those drugs.

This operation, called

and carried out in

,

,

,

,

,

and

, was reported on Wednesday by the Civil Guard, which, in a statement, stressed that in this investigation they have seized prohibited substances and accessory material for their conditioning for a value of more than 870,000 euros.

And he adds that the buyers and/or consumers of these substances are related to the world of sports and physio-bodybuilding.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO STEROIDS TO "IMPROVE" SPORTS PERFORMANCE

According to the Civil Guard, it is the first time that an operation related to the trafficking of this type of substance has been carried out in Spanish territory.

Because SARMs are cataloged by the

as "drugs under experimentation", so their distribution and sale is not authorized in Spain.

They are advertised as an alternative to steroids, with no side effects and with oral administration, but the researchers stress that their use can lead to "significant side effects", such as high blood pressure, skin rashes, headaches, liver toxicity, problems of vision or impotence.

The drugs were offered through social networks and a website with the promise that their consumption would result in an improvement in sports performance.

THE 'MODUS OPERANDI'

The organization imported the powdered active ingredients from third countries to subsequently prepare the medicines and distribute them in a liquid state inside dropper format containers.

To do this, they had the collaboration of an official laboratory, which treated medicines from third countries to mix them with the necessary excipients for their consumption.

In addition, the laboratory was in charge of conditioning the medicines, packaging them in dropper-shaped bottles and introducing them into individual boxes.

Once the medicine droppers were prepared, they were sent to logistics companies that were in charge of their final conditioning and delivery to the different recipients, located on the peninsula, in the Canary Islands and in some countries of

European

.

The sale of these products was carried out through an internet domain in which the different varieties of SARMs that the organization had for sale were offered.

There, one could also find links to profiles of various social networks associated mainly with personal trainers and physio-bodybuilders, who actively promoted the use of these substances to improve physical and sporting capacities.

The agents have carried out four searches at addresses in

(Barcelona), Valencia,

(Málaga) and Madrid, in addition to another three carried out in two logistics companies in the provinces of Barcelona and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and in a laboratory in the province of Granada.

Along with these actions, machinery for the preparation and packaging that the organization intended to put into operation in the near future as an industrial chain for mixing and filling has also been sealed.

THREE DETAINED AND SIX INVESTIGATED

The investigations have led to the arrest of three people -two men and one woman- of Spanish nationality, and the investigation of another six.

In addition, some 10,000 droppers of 10 different types of SARMs have been seized, fully prepared and packaged for distribution, 3,200 grams of this powdered medicine and 870 liters of PEG-400 excipient.

Around 15,000 empty containers prepared to contain SARMs, dropper caps, labels, packaging cartons and two pieces of industrial machinery have also been intervened to mix the powdered substances with the excipients, fill containers and label them.

All this valued at about 870,000 euros.

The operation has been directed by the

(Barcelona) in collaboration with the

, the

, the

and the University of

, who have provided "technical advice of vital importance by assisting in the records and inspections carried out", highlights the Civil Guard.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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